Velvet Roses
by Nini the Electrocuted Sheep
Summary: New characters. Romance. Action. Kidnap and rescue. Need I say more? All right, then I will. Three years after Alkali Lake: lots of new mutants. A chance meeting brings Amanda to Professor Xavier. Humor and love triangles ensue. COMPLETE!
1. Teaser: Introducing: Amanda Norron

**Authoress's notes:** ok folks. First off, I know this is one big cliché – it's been done hundreds of times, I know. But I just feel like writing something new, and seeing as I seem to have obtained a temporary group of muses, of sorts, I'll just let them do their job, ai?

So then, I'll get the introductions out of the way before I rant anymore.

**Title:** Velvet Roses.

**Author:** Nini, the Electrocuted Sheep (formerly g0ldensnidget, a.k.a. Snitch).

**Summary:** Takes place three years after the events at Alkali Lake: many humans have mutated, Amanda among them. Could Professor Xavier, the bald man in the motorized wheelchair, with his calm demeanor and piercing eyes, help her gain some control over her mutation? Or will she be distracted by two certain mutants, namely... Logan and Kurt? ;) ;)

**Rating:** PG-13, mainly for some blood and death... Logan, mostly... and some swearing as well... again, mostly Logan, but Amanda too. ;) Also, possible character death. I'm not sure about it, and I'll give warning if I decide to include it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the X-Men: Logan, Cyclops, Storm, Kurt, Rogue, Bobby, nor other students in the school if you happen come across them: Jubilee, Syrin, Piotr, Kitty... and of course, Professor Xavier. I don't own Magneto or Mystique, or Pyro. I do, however, own Amanda Norron, and any other characters you won't recognize, like Gabby, the Twins, and Vina ... Melavina, Loreyn, Matt, Terry, and Slayer are based on a few of my friends; they wanted to join in, so I had them invent their own characters and their powers and all... basically, their characters are based on _their _favorite characters, from Buffy or Ender's Game or some Manga or another. They also helped my get some ideas; in a way, they were my pseudo-muses.

Also – I'm basing this only on the movies – not on the cartoon (X-Men Evolution) or the comics. If you want cartoon/comics-fics, go to the 'Cartoons'/'Comics' category.

**_WARNING: this fic contains spoilers for anyone who has not yet seen both X-Men and X-Men-2. I REPEAR, SPIOLER-ALERT!_**

Now, I won't start the story just yet… tell you what. Here's a teaser…

* * *

**Chapter 1 (Teaser): Introducing: Amanda Norron.**

"Gimme me another beer, would'ja, Manda?"

"Sure thing, John," Amanda 'Manda' Norron replied, filling up another tankard and sliding it over to him on her way out. She reached the back-door/staff-only-entrance and stepped out, sitting on the edge of the cement steps and fanning herself with one hand. She liked working at the bar, with people all around, music blaring in her ears, and drinks at her fingertips; but sometimes it would all become a bit too much, and so she would take a break – Derrick would sub for her for a while – and cool off outside.

Amanda had been working at the bar for three years now. It wasn't exactly the best night-job available, but she enjoyed it and what cash it earned her every month. Her day-job as much less interesting. Here at the bar she would whip up exotic cocktails or plain beers for any paying customer, enjoy the good music, and meet plenty of hot guys. She knew all the regulars and greeted any newbies with a smile and a drink, on the house if he was cute.

One such newbie tonight had intrigued her particularly. He looked young -- around her age -- too young to be sitting at the bar drinking with such a haunted look on his face, rather than dance with people his own age. His brown hair hung in his face a bit, but not enough to hide the ruby quartz sunglasses he wore – what for, she did not know. "What can I get you?" she asked.

He looked up at her for a second before replying sullenly, "Just a beer, I suppose."

"Coming right at you." She filled up a tankard and set it on the bar with a _thunk_. "So why the long face?" she asked, hoping to spark up some conversation, maybe lighten the poor boy's spirits a bit.

"None of your business, really," he replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"All right then. I suppose it really isn't," she said, unperturbed. "Why the glasses, then?" She was not going to give up. She knew the look on his face. He needed someone to talk to ... desperately.

He glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. When it seemed she wasn't preparing to back off, he replied shortly, "Light sensitive."

"Ah." Amanda served the man next to them another refill and continued as though nothing was wrong. "Do you plan to become a regular, though? 'Cause if so, I'll need to know your name – unless you rather I call you 'Shades'."

'Shades' choked on his beer. "Scott Sum–"

"Scott." She held up a hand. "No last names needed until you're really a regular. So, light-sensitive, gloomy Scott," she leaned her elbows on the bar. "Lost love?"

Scott gave her a quizzical look. "How'd you know?"

"Been there, done that, felt the pain. Trust me."

Scott gave her a sympathetic look. "Old boyfriend?"

She shrugged. "Fiancé."

"Left?"

"Died. Three years ago. Exactly, as a matter of fact."

"Three years?" Amanda got the feeling that behind the glasses, Scott was narrowing his eyes. "How did he die?"

Amanda shrugged. "Mutation, I suppose. We were engaged... And then the whole mutant thing. The whole of humanity took a U-turn... said happy couple included."

"What?" Scott whispered. "You mutated?"

Amanda shrugged casually. "Who knows? It was three years ago. Nothing seems to have changed much. Why -- what's your mutation?"

Scott tapped the glasses. "Optic laser beams."

"Ah. I see. Well then." She sat down on a stool, yelling at Derrick to take over for a while, and pulled up a mug of beer for herself. "I don't suppose you could give me the number for your mutant doctor..."

"Why not?" Rather drunk, Scott pulled a small white business card from an inner coat pocket. "If you really are a mutant, he might be able to help."

Amanda stared at the small card, eyebrows raised. "Xavier's? I've heard of the school. Are you saying that...?"

"Yep. You know where it is?"

"No ... but I'll find it, if it can help me find myself."

* * *

Authoress's notes: So? How was that for a teaser? That last sentence was horribly clichéd, I know; but hey, this is just the teaser. Tell me what you think, and I'll post chapter two. If I'm satisfied with the reviews, that is… 


	2. Memory Lane

**Authoress's notes:** thank you to MacmuffL and Lamby, who reviewed the first chapter. Here's chapter 2 for you!

**MacmuffL**** – **you get a cookie for being my first reviewer! ::hands you cookie:: Be careful with it, though ... you can never quite know what I've put in there. Even I don't know for sure. ;)

**Lamby**** –** I'm glad you think Amanda's cool, and I'm very flattered that you like my writing style. That's always nice to hear. I'm really really sorry, but it seems like there are just too many stories! You and Corrinth, I understand, are working on one big timeline, and I'd hate to mess it up by reading the stories in the wrong order or something ... and trust me ... I can do that ... . ****

* * *

**Chapter 2: Memory Lane.**

_Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters._

The title stared at her from where she'd tacked the small white card up on her tiny notice board in her kitchenette.

_Gifted youngsters..._

But that wasn't true... it was a school for mutants... and her only hope. She needed to figure herself out. This Xavier... could he help her?

Amanda jumped when a knock sounded at her door. She picked up her coffee mug and went to the door, curious. Who would knock on her door at – she checked her watch – eleven AM on a Wednesday morning?

Cautiously, she opened the door a fraction of an inch and looked out. She saw nobody. Then –

"Hello."

Amanda did a double take, then directed her sight downwards a bit. The man, seemingly in his early-forties but completely bald, sat in a motorized wheelchair -- an extremely odd sight in the old, dusty, dingy hallway of her apartment's building, especially in his expensive-looking suit.

She blinked. "Hello," she replied, one eyebrow raised.

The man smiled. "Good morning. My name is Cha–"

"Let me guess. Professor Charles Xavier." She opened the door wider, stepping aside to let him wheel in. "I didn't even give Scott my name; I wasn't quite expecting any visitors so soon ... you'll have to excuse the mess. Coffee?"

Xavier chuckled. "Outgoing, are we? Coffee would be nice, thank you." He accepted the chipped mug with amusement. "Scott tells me he met an intriguing young barwoman last night, who admitted quite casually that she might be a mutant. Might that be you, by any chance, Miss Norron?"

Amanda took a sip of her coffee, ignoring its rather cheap taste – it was only the caffeine she craved in the mornings. "Yes, I suppose I could qualify for said woman." She grinned. "I do work at a bar, and I do remember a certain young man by the name of Scott saying something about mutants ... but drinks can do that to a girl." She raised her mug of coffee and winked. "Why do you ask?"

Xavier steepled his fingers. "I posses a machine called Cerebro, Miss Norron. Cerebro allows me to locate and contact mutants around the world. I notice you're not entirely sure what gifts you posses." He gave her a piercing look. "Perhaps I could be of some assistance."

Amanda sat on the arm of the old couch in the area she would have liked to call her living room; actually, it was merely a tiny room, practically a hallway, that connected her kitchenette, bedroom, and bathroom. She looked at Xavier, a hard, calculating look. "How?"

"I posses telepathic gifts. I can read minds up to a certain level that might be enough to unlock a few mysteries ... if you are interested, of course. I shall not force you into anything."

Amanda considered, then nodded. "Don't snoop around, though." She raised a finger. "There are some drawers I'd rather keep locked."

He nodded. "Of course. Rest assured, I shall respect your privacy."

"Good." She slid down onto the couch itself, laying her coffee mug on the small table. "What do I have to do?"

"Just sit still." He rolled closer to her and placed his hands over her temples, millimeters away from her face. "Close your eyes, if you wish. This might feel a bit odd."

It was indeed the oddest sensation. Like watching someone read a book -- but actually, she could feel that Xavier was riffling, rather than really reading. As though each and every memory, feeling, sensation and thought had been turned into files, and he was simply searching for the right title, finally selecting one dating a bit over three and a half years ago.

_- _

_"Manda... I was thinking..."_

_ Amanda took a sip of her sweet-potato soup. She had a fetish for sweet-potatoes. And soup, for that matter. The combination was wonderful. "Hmm?"_

_ "Uuuh..."_

_ "Gabby, are you okay? You seem a bit..." she eyed her boyfriend of two years thoughtfully, "pale," she concluded. "Is anything the matter?"_

_ He shook his head. "No – everything's fine. Wonderful, in fact. But everything would be even better if..."_

_ "If...?"_

_ Amanda's eyes widened as Gabriel set his fork down and pushed his chair back, reaching into his pants pocket as he kneeled in front of her._

_ "If you'll be my wife..."_

_ "Oh."_

_ Gabriel bit his lip. "I –"_

_ "Oh, Gabby, of course I will!" Amanda dropped to the marble floor in front of him, embracing him firmly and kissing him, hard. She pulled back and giggled a bit. "I was thinking you'd never ask..."_

_ Gabby gave her a sly grin and slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a white-gold ring, thin, with a tiny blue-white diamond in its center. It was beautiful. **But not as much as her,**_ _Gabby thought. He smoothed her brown hair back from her face, wiping away the tiny tear that had appeared on her cheek._

_ The pair of them jumped as a loud **POP** was heard; they turned to find a waiter with a bottle of champagne in his hand, the foam already running down the side. Two tall glasses were held in his other hand. "On the house," he said as he put the glasses on their table and poured the sparkling wine into them. "For the happy couple."_

_ Amanda and Gabriel beamed at each other as half the restaurant applauded..._

_-_

"Gabby! –"

Another, different file was selected, this one dating later than the last.

_- _

_"So? What do you think?"_

_ Amanda looked around. "It's certainly very large... Can we afford this place, Gabby?"_

_ "Sure we can." He took her hands and held them to his heart. "Anything for my wife."_

_ "Future wife, Gabby, and this isn't a fairytale... I don't want to be kicked out halfway into our wedding plans. Tell me truthfully. Do we have enough for this?"_

_ Gabriel eyed his fiancé and sighed. "I suppose we could get one of the cheaper studio apartments..."_

_ "Perfect. I will not have you pay rent all the time. This is going to be **our** apartment, and we're going to pay for it fifty-fifty."_

_ "All right then." Gabby kissed his fiancé. "Whatever you say, love."_

_-_

"Gabby! –"

This time, the file date was exactly three years ago. That day...

_-_

_"Gabby?"_

_ "Manda! Hi, love. How was the interview?"_

_ "Eh. Not too bad. I'm expecting a call by day-after-tomorrow. How was the office? Any interesting cases?"_

_ "Nah. Home is interesting." He kissed his fiancé. "And much more enjoyable."_

_ She smacked him lightly on the side of the head. "Business before pleasure. As of now, I'm starving. Anything left from the Chinese?" she rummaged through the refrigerator._

_ "Nah," replied Gabriel. "I think we threw it out last night." He came up behind her and encircled her in his arms, breathing in the smell of her shampoo. "I love you," he murmured._

_ Amanda smiled into the fridge. "I love you too, Gabby, but my stomach will allow no feelings until it is full. I need food!"_

_ "All right, all right. I can take a hint. 'Specially since I'm the one who finished off the Chinese..."_

_ "What?! Oh, you are so dead –" she chased her fiancé around the couch in the living room, hurtling pillows after him. "How – dare – you?!" He laughed as she continued her fit over her favorite take-out. Then his foot caught on the carpet, and as another pillow struck his head, he tripped. Landing with a loud **thump** on the floor, he stated, "Ouch."_

_ Then he clutched his head, screaming in pain. Amanda rushed to his side, starting to ask what was wrong – she didn't think he'd hit the floor that hard – when a searing pain tore through her head. Her eyes rolled in her head – pain spread through her body – was Gabby ok?_

_ – pain –_

_ – Gabby! –_

_ – **What is going on here?! **–****_

_ – As tough her mind was being ripped apart –_

_ – just pain –_

_ And then... silence. The most awful sound she had heard in years. Such a horrific silence that her ears hurt._

_ "G – Gabby?"_

_ Her voice was shaky. She reached out blindly, still too frightened to open her eyes. Her hand felt across the carpet and found her fiancé's. "G-Gabby..." The hand was warm, but still. She opened her eyes..._

_ Gabriel was sprawled on the carpet, face down. He wasn't moving. A bubble of panic formed in her throat. He wasn't... he couldn't be..._

_ "Gabby! Gabby?"_

_ He was._

_ "GABBY!!"_

_-_

-

"Stop!!"

* * *

Authoress's note: hehehe, cliffhanger… tell me what you think. All you have to do is press that nice little purple button that says GO and write down what you think in the nice little window that pops up. Can you do that? Because if you can't then I can't post another chapter… ::cackles evilly:: 


	3. Of Coffee, Croissants, and Mutants

**Authoress's notes:** since I left you at a cliffie last time, I've decided to post this chapter earlier than I originally intended. Enjoy!

**Reviewers' Response:**

**weirdsista **– hope the wait wasn't too long ;)

**OrLiRoXmYsOx55 – **thank you. And don't worry -- there'll be plenty of Logan here :D I just love him also. Can't wait for X3 to come out...

**HughloverX – **have no fear, all the Hugh-huggers and the Wolverine-worshippers! He's coming up shortly!

**MacmuffL** – hehe, nice to have someone who's in for cliffies. :::evil grin::: And yes, I do pride myself on good grammar! ;))) Thank you! As for your writing ... I read your bio, and you said that you were more of a visual person. That means that you should work more on filming -- I'm sure you're great at that! Perhaps you should try script-writing? ;) Anyway, just don't ever give up! Grammar isn't everything.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Of Coffee, Croissants, and Mutants.**

"Stop!!

Amanda jerked back, panting, tears in her eyes.

"Stop," she whispered. The professor was sitting in front of her, eyes closed. Lowering his hands, his eyes twitched open, and he regarded her carefully.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm afraid I had to look a bit deeper than we agreed... I apologize."

She swallowed. "Well... Did you find anything?" she asked, massaging her temples lightly. _That search better had been productive ... my head still feels like a file cabinet._

Xavier gave her a grim smile. "Yes, I was able do decipher a few memories of the times after the mutation –"

"Do you know what I can do or don't you?" she said. She was pissed; he had dug in her brain and she wanted a straight answer. Now.

Xavier stopped. "Straight and to the point, I see. Very well then. You posses some telekinetic gifts, as well as telepathy. These kinds of gifts are quite common among mutants, but there are many different types of telekinesis and telepathy. With the proper kind of training, you might be able to lift heavy objects using only your mind, communicate with people even when you are not face-to-face, and even manipulate their thoughts and actions –"

"Whoa." Amanda held up both hands. "Reverse there for a second. Proper training, move objects, manipulate peoples'... what are you talking about?"

"Scott told me he gave you our card. The Institute –"

Amanda slumped back in the couch. "The school? 'Gifted youngsters' ... mutants, you mean."

"Yes, mutants." Xavier gave her a hard look. "Would you be interested?"

Her head snapped up. "Interested? In what?"

"I suppose... you've completed your education, yes? Studying is out of the question, then. Would you perhaps be interested in teaching?"

"Teaching? Teaching what? I – I don't have a teaching degree or anything. I work at a bar, for crying out loud. What could I possible contribute to anyone at your school? Teach kids how to make cocktails?"

"I certainly hope not. You may come for a visit, if you wish. Get an impression of the place. You can then choose to stay and see what will turn out, or you can turn around and never think of it again. This is your life, and therefore your choice."

"And what about my ... my gifts?" she said faintly.

"I can help you develop and control them, should you wish," Xavier said. He looked hard into her eyes, and quite suddenly, she heard his voice in her mind. _It will not be easy, but it will grant you some piece of mind ... as well as plenty of amusement, I'm sure._

Amanda grinned at the thought of doing the dishes by mind. Xavier smiled as well, and she realized he was still in her mind. She scowled at him and he retreated with an apologetic smile. "I'll have to think about it..."

"Of course," said Xavier, wheeling back. "In the meanwhile, would you be interested in joining Scott and myself for lunch?"

"Lunch?" Amanda checked her watch. The whole deal had only taken an hour. "Hmm. Twelve o'clock."

Xavier shrugged. "Early lunch."

Amanda smiled. "Okay. Sure, why the hell not? I might as well make the best of this..." She looked down at herself. "Heh. Hang on a few minuets while I get dressed." She turned to her small bedroom before he had any time to answer. She opened her closet. _What do you wear to brunch with a telepath professor and a laser-shooting hottie? _she thought to herself, studying the various garments hanging on the rod or half-folded and placed haphazardly on the shelves. She raised an eyebrow. _Nothing from this dump... Hello. What's this?_

It was an old pair of jeans... dark blue, embroidered with pink and green and yellow and purple flowers here and there. She hadn't worn it in years... It would be just perfect. She quickly pulled off her grey sweats and pulled the jeans on. _They still fit_, she thought, smiling. She slid out of the faded red T-shirt, recognizing it vaguely as Gabriel's favorite one. She sniffled once before standing there in her bra, looking for a decent top. She decided on a long shirt, almost a tunic, coloured a light shade of purple that would match the flowers. She walked over to the bathroom to sort her hair out. It was, as usual, all over the place. _Why can't I ever wear it down? _she thought sourly. Unless recently washed, her hair usually pooffed out when let loose of its hairband. So, she kept it up.

Raising an eyebrow, she decided to be creative today, and arranged it up in two cheery, white-and-blue-striped chopsticks. _There. Not too bad,_ she thought to herself, admiring her work in the mirror.

_Not bad indeed,_ an amused voice said in her mind, and Amanda whirled around before recognizing it as Professor Xavier's. _Are you quite ready?_

"I will never be ready to hear your voice in my head while I'm doing my hair," she said out loud as she walked back to the living room, wearing an amused smile and picking up her bag. "And you'd better get ready to never do it again. Arranging one's hair is a dangerous, delicate process, and usually involves nasty consequences when interrupted."

Xavier raised an eyebrow.

"My hair gets cranky," she shrugged, opening the door. "After you." She locked up, slipped the key into her bag, along with her wallet – she didn't believe in purses – and followed him to the old elevator.

**-X-**

Amanda grinned at Scott as she and Xavier came up to him. "Shades!" she clapped him on the shoulder. "How are we? Still light-sensitive?"

Scott shook his head sadly. "Why did I have to go get drunk at _your_ bar?" he said, looking skywards. "Why couldn't I have just found a nice, mutant-free bar, where the bartender only serves drinks and keeps quiet?"

"Am I that annoying?" Amanda winked.

"That annoying," agreed Scott.

Amanda feigned a hurt look. "Aww... I'm hurt. Don't you like me?"

"I think she'll get along quite nicely with Logan, don't you, Scott?" Xavier smiled at them.

"Oh yeah," Scott raised an eyebrow at the thought of the pair of them together. "Fun," he said sarcastically.

"So then, Miss Norron," Xavier turned to her. "Is there any nice place nearby?"

"Mm, there's a really good coffee bar a few blocks down. They have this a_mazing_ chocolate croissant... absolutely heavenly. I'm quit addicted to them, as a matter of fact. Their coffee's also excellent. And –" she added, raising a finger, "it's Amanda."

"All right then." Scott raked a hand through his hair. "Let's go."

**-X-**

"What can I getcha?"

Amanda didn't even glance at the menu card. "One chocolate croissant ... and a hot chocolate. I don't think my body can take any more coffee today."

"Large cappuccino," said Scott.

"Just an espresso, thank you," said Xavier.

"Comin' right up."

"So, what exactly do you _do_ at this school?" asked Amanda after their orders had arrived, save for the professor's espresso, which the waitress informed them would take a bit longer. "I don't suppose you all do quantum physics..."

"No, just the normal, elementary through high-school things," said Xavier. "Mathematics, chemistry, normal physics. Geography. Biology, history. Nothing special. We do need to keep the children educated." Amanda raised an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"Most are runaways," Xavier explained. "Running away as soon as their families discovered their gifts. Some parents simply think their children are attending a private school. Others – though very few – actually know that their children are mutants, and that they are both learning to control their gifts and are properly educated."

"I see. Kind of a mutant-haven, huh?"

"In a way, I suppose so," said Xavier. "Scott, what is the matter?"

For Scott had been glancing around for the last few minuets. "I'm not sure... I've just got a bad feeling in my gut..."

And then Amanda felt it, too: like something was going to happen. Something bad. She had no clue as to what it was so far, but she could tell, it would not be good. Something to do with the professor and Scott and her... Perhaps somebody was watching them?

"Here you go, sir." The waitress laid a small cup of dark coffee in front of the professor. Xavier looked thoughtfully at the young woman, her slim body, auburn hair. Blue eye-shadow... His eyes widened as he hastened to warn Scott –

Too late: she tripped – or at least to anybody else it would seem as though she'd tripped. The tray she was holding collided heavily with Scott's head, jarring his glasses so that a long beam of bright-red energy was released. Simultaneously, a shout was heard from the kitchen: fire spread throughout the coffee-house. Metal objects, from spoons to knives to tables, were spinning around the room. People around them screamed, abandoning their tables and their drinks, scrambling for the door in wild panic.

And then Amanda saw something that made her eyes widen to the size of dinner-plates. The waitress's uniform-dress faded, and bright-blue scales seemed to be spreading over her back, across her chest, over her arms and face. She stood up, and Amanda gasped as she saw her. She was completely naked, but her skin was indeed blue scales. Her eyes were yellow, with pupils like a cat's, and her auburn hair was slicked back.

"Mystique!" she heard Scott yell; he'd gotten his glasses back on. The woman – the shapeshifter? – Mystique – smiled maliciously before bending over and flipping backwards like a practiced gymnast: all that could be seen was a blue blur moving through the coffee-house.

And then a man appeared by her side: a tall, grey-haired man wearing black garments and a crimson cloak, as well as a red helmet on his head. He carried himself as though he were royalty. He seemed to be controlling all the metal objects, for as he raised a hand they all froze in midair. Then a young man appeared by his side. He looked to be around twenty years of age, dressed in simple clothes but wearing such a look of superiority that Amanda felt sick. At a nod from the older man, he released a bolt of fire from his hands. Then he held a hand out, and the fireball stopped – a mere few feet from Amanda. He seemed to be controlling it; he was smiling.

"John," she heard Scott say, staring at the younger man, who retorted hotly,

"It's Pyro!"

Meanwhile, Xavier was looking at the older man. "Eric," he said, "what are you doing here?" His voice sounded harsh, cold.

The man, Eric, smirked. "Not happy to see me, Charles?" he said, his deep voice sending a shiver down Amanda's spine.

"No, actually," replied Xavier. He wheeled his chair closer to the man. To Amanda, both seemed the same height; in fact, it seemed that, had the professor the ability to stand, he would have towered over Eric. In a way, she reflected, he still did. She wondered about their familiarity; obviously they had once been friends, if they were on first-name terms. "What do you think you're doing?"

Eric looked around. "I was simply amusing myself, Charles."

"_In a public café?_" said Xavier, gesturing around them, at the empty, half-ruined coffee-house. The fire was still burning, steadily destroying everything in its path, but John – or Pyro, as Amanda reminded herself he'd rather be called – protected them from the flames. That didn't, however, block out the heat. "Why not just say, 'I felt like planning a terror attack,' Eric?!"

"I shall say it again, Charles: I was simply amusing myself. I find these Homosapiens to be highly amusing to watch in an emergency."

"I do not. Might I remind you, Eric, that we are also humans?"

Eric shook his head fiercely. "We are not normal humans, Charles. The sooner you realize this, the better." With that, he strode out of the ruined doors, head high. Mystique and Pyro followed him. Xavier looked at their retreating forms sadly.

"Professor? We ought to get going." Scott was clearing a path between the rubble and destruction. The fire was still raging, and they didn't want to be there when the police and fire departments got there.

"What? – Oh, yes. Amanda? Follow me."

* * *

**Authoress's notes:** well. I managed to get the Brotherhood in here on the third chapter, huh? Not bad, if I do say so myself. But the thing is, it's not me who decides if it's good. That is YOUR job. So what do YOU think? 


	4. Welcome to Mutant High

Authoress's notes: waah, not enough reviews. :::pouts::: Never mind. I've finished chapter 4, so I decided to post. :D

**MacmuffL**** –** glad you're havin' fun! Enjoy chapter four!

**Pyro Lady – **heh. Listen, I'm glad you're liking it, but I'm afraid I won't be having all those characters – I'm using the movieverse characters, and I'm creating my own. Other than that, I'm afraid it's a No Can Do. If you want Lance, Pietro, Fred, Wanda, and all the others, you'll have to go to the Cartoon or the Comics section – that's where they all are. I haven't read the comics or seen (much of) X-Men Evolution. Just the movies. So. Sorry. :::shrugs::: I do, however, plan to give Remy some fic time! ;) And the Brotherhood will all have their chance (Pyro included) – they're coming up, don't worry.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Welcome to Mutant High.**

"Where are we going?" Amanda asked from the back seat of the car once she had regained her breath.

"To the Institute," said Xavier. "You'll be safe there."

"Safe – from whom, exactly?" she demanded, buckling her seatbelt. "Who were those – the shapeshifter, the flame-kid, the magnet-man? I want answers, Xavier. Don't expect me to join any mutant mission group before I know exactly what's going on." Amanda was pissed.

"Hey –" Scott twisted around in the driver's seat to glare at her, but he was cut off by the professor.

"No, Scott, she's right. She does need to know. But know this also, Amanda –"

"I won't tell anybody." Amanda crossed her arms, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Talk."

Xavier frowned slightly. "Very well then. We are a mutant group called the X-Men. We operate in secret, mostly, but some do know that we –"

"Who exactly is 'we'?"

"We are myself, Scott, Logan, Ororo, Hank, Marie, Bobby, and also Kurt. You'll get to meet them soon enough," he added as she opened her mouth. "I promise I shall introduce you to each and every one of them."

"And what exactly do the X-Men do?" inquired Amanda.

"Most of the times, for the past few years, we've been setting out in groups of twos or threes to find new mutants – the events of Alkali Lake seemed to have triggered mutant genes all over the continent..." Xavier looked thoughtful, somewhat distant.

"What happened at Alkali Lake?"

Amanda cried out as the car veered dangerously to the side. She shot Scott an odd look. "Let me guess. This was exactly three years from yesterday. Has it by any chance been the three-year anniversary of a fellow X-Man – or dare I say Woman? – during a mission at this Alkali Lake place?"

"Yes, you are correct," said Xavier, laying a hand on Scott's shoulder. Amanda could practically see him sending the young man a comforting telepathic message. "Her name was Jean Grey. She was also a telekinetic, and a telepath. Extremely powerful – one of my best students. I was very happy when she informed me that she wished to stay and teach the younger mutants after her graduation..."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Amanda looked at Scott via the rear-view mirror, pondering on how to say this without sounding like a hypocrite. "If it's any comfort, I can honestly say I know how you feel. I also lost a loved one to the ... to the what_ever_ it was that happened three years ago. I know your pain."

Scott kept his eyes on the road, but Amanda could see what he was thinking, and felt that if he could, Scott would have been crying.

"All right then." She sighed, and turned back to Xavier via the mirror. "Who were those three back in the café? Eric, you said, and John – or Pyro – and Mystique. Who are they?"

"Eric Lensherr. He has the ability to create magnetic fields and control metals. Hence his name Magneto."

"Magneto? Not the mutant who was arrested on Liberty Island over three years ago?"

"The very same."

"Ai, what've I gotten myself into?" Amanda put a hand over her face. "Okay. Why's he so ... _snobbish_?"

Xavier sighed. "He believes mutants are superior to normal human beings. Over three years ago – the incident at Liberty Island, yes – he tried to turn the rest of mankind into mutants. He failed, thanks to the X-Men. We stopped him, and he was arrested and imprisoned in a plastic prison. But, three years ago, he escaped. I'm still not sure how – but rest assured Mystique helped."

"Hold it." Amanda held up a hand. "Mystique. What's her story?"

Xavier sighed again. "I'm afraid I have no real idea. Her real name is Raven Darkholme; she has the ability to shapeshift, to take on the appearance of any living thing she sees. She can also imitate anybody's voice. I'm not exactly sure about anything when it comes to Mystique – she lives up to her name."

"Tell me about it," Amanda murmured. "Okay. Back to Magneto."

"Yes, Magneto... Eric escaped, but not before he was forced by a military scientist by the name of William Stryker to reveal that my school was truly a training facility for mutant children. He was forced to tell Stryker about Cerebro. He helped me build it, you see, and so he was also the only one who possessed a helmet that kept me from penetrating his mind."

"Ohh, so that's what it's for," said Amanda. She had wondered about that.

"It was the helmet he was wearing today, yes. Stryker kidnapped me and wanted to use me in order to kill all the mutants in the world."

Amanda paled slightly. "Can you do that?"

Xavier nodded grimly. "You see, while I am using Cerebro, my mind is connected to each and every human being on the planet. If I were to concentrate too hard on anybody in particular while using Cerebro, I could kill them. Stryker wanted me to concentrate on the mutants, and kill them. But then Eric escaped... He helped the X-Men find me, at the secret military base at Alkali Lake. He reversed Stryker's plan ... he nearly had me kill all the non-mutant humans in the world. But once again, the X-Men reached me, and they stopped me in time."

"Not in time," said Amanda coldly. "Gabby died."

Xavier nodded. "Yes, I suppose it really wasn't in time. Some died, and many others mutated. Like you."

"Like me," Amanda whispered.

"Ah, here we are," said Xavier, a small smile touching his lips. "Welcome to Mutant High, Amanda."

**-X-**

Amanda felt her eyes widening as they pulled up the longest driveway she had ever seen, gaping at the enormous mansion, its walls covered in creeping ivy. She blinked as Scott maneuvered the car into the largest garage she had ever seen, let alone been in. Cars of various years and models, all sizes and colours, surrounded them, as well as a small number of motorcycles. Amanda looked around in awe as Scott helped Xavier out of the car.

"Okay," she said faintly, turning to him, "I have one word: wow."

Xavier chuckled. "I didn't even have to read your mind. Remind me to arrange a tour for you once you're introduced; we don't want you to lose yourself all the time. The Institute is quite large."

"Whoa – all the time?" Amanda frowned as she followed him and Scott to a large door that lead into the building. "What do you mean? Exactly how long do you plan to have me stay here?"

"I think it would be best for you stay here for a while, yes."

"What –?!"

"Give us a chance, Amanda," said Scott, and Amanda suddenly realized it was the first time he had spoken since the car. He still looked sad, but he seemed more comfortable, it seemed, in the large mansion. "We're truly not that bad."

Amanda shook her head. "It's not that, I'm sure your all perfectly okay. It's just – this isn't what I'm used to. It's too... _alien_ to me. I mean, look at this." She gestured around them at the entrance hall, at the rich carpet underneath, and the large, elegant staircase. She could see a long hallway after the stairs, and doors... "My whole apartment is half the size of this room, and judging by the outside, there's plenty more where this came from."

"As Scott said, give it a chance," said Xavier. "We do have plenty of rooms; you are welcome to see each and every one of them and then take your pick. I promise, we will do all we can to make you feel at home." Amanda bit her lip and looked around uneasily. She didn't belong in a house like this.

"Tell you what," said Scott. "Give us a week. If by then you still don't feel comfortable here, I promise I'll drive you home myself, and you'll never hear from us again." He held out his hand. "Deal?"

Amanda smiled and took it. "Deal."

"Excellent," said Xavier. "Now, as for a tour – ah, Ororo, Marie. You're both just in time."

Amanda turned to see two women descending the staircase. The older was African; her hair was completely white, but her face was young. She had an air of calm, collected control about her, both over those surrounding her and over herself, and Amanda found herself wondering what powers she possessed.

The other, younger woman – she looked to be younger than Amanda – had dark brown hair, with a streak of platinum white at the front. She seemed to have an older, more pained prospective of life despite her young age, and Amanda wondered if her gift was perhaps more of a burden.

"I would like to introduce Amanda Norron," said Xavier, smiling at the women. "She'll be staying with us for a week before she decides whether to stay longer or not. I trust you'll make her feel comfortable. Amanda, this is Ororo Munroe," he gestured at the African woman, "also known as Storm. This," he gestured at the other woman, "is Marie, but she prefers to be called Rogue. I'm sure you'll all get along quite well."

Both women smiled; Ororo Munroe – or rather, Storm – extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you," she said. Marie – Rogue – also held out a black-gloved hand. Amanda shook it, wondering about the gloves. She decided not to pry ... yet.

"Rogue, would you take Amanda on a tour of the Institute? And show her the spare rooms. I'm sure one will suit her... let her look around."

"Sure thing, Professor," said Rogue. Amanda detected a southern accent in her drawl. "Comin', Storm?"

Storm smiled. "Sure, why not? Come on, Amanda. Let's show you around."

The two of them pulled her up the staircase, each holding an arm. "_Help!_" she mouthed at Scott and Xavier, who only smiled back at her.

* * *

Authoress's notes: muahahaha, evil me, I've left you with another cliffie. Well, not really :::cheeky grin::: As always............ review! Reviews feed me and fuel me to write faster. 


	5. Kurt, Logan: meet Amanda

**Authoress's notes: _this chapter is dedicated to all the Hugh-Hugglers and the Wolverine-Worshippers out there... (as well as anyone who likes Kurt!! Kurt-Carers?) Have fun!_**

I had a blast writing this chapter, really. The bit with Logan and Amanda came to me and wouldn't let go. I hope you find it as funny as I did writing it; you've got to imagine it just the right way… it played itself across my mind like a movie scene until I gave in and wrote it, you see. So, enjoy!

**Reviewers' Response:**

**Pyro Lady – **so you're not disappointed? :D I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

**OrLiRoXmYsOx55 - **phew! do you have any idea how long it takes to type out your name...?? Anyway, gah, bad Halle Berry, bad! I think she was very good in the role of Storm, but we can't have the whole story revolving around her, can we? :::shakes finger::: No, no no.

**Lea – **ah, finally someone who realizes how wonderfully they'd get along! :::shakes hand::: Welcome to the insanity that is my X-Men fic. I hope you'll be entertained ;D

**Doodilydoo**– Welcome to you too. HERE'S HUGH FOR YOU!! FINALLY, WOLVIE GETS SOME FIC-TIME! ;D

**RC – **thank you! Glad it's not boring :) I'm afraid I have the tendency to write Mary-Sues every once-in-a-while; I'm trying with all my might not to let Amanda go MS. 

**LadyV77 – **aha! I was wondering if anybody would notice that. M'fraid you'll just have to wait and keep reading to see about that. ;D anyway, as you can see by the title... in this chapter Amanda finally meets Logan, and, well, let's not exactly say 'sparks fly' :::huge grin:::

**chelsey**** - **:::squeal::: I can't believe it; so many people suddenly like my fic! :::does happy dance::: As you can see, it's reposted – I got just to this chapter when I decided the fic wasn't really ready for posting, and that I had to work on it a bit more. I can see my efforts have not been in vain! Thanks for your review!!

* * *

**Chapter 5: "Logan, Kurt ... meet Amanda."**

"So," said Rogue, as she and Storm lead Amanda down the halls, pointing out various rooms and showing her their uses, "what do you do?"

"I – my powers, you mean?"

Rogue nodded.

"Well… Professor Xavier says I have some telekinetic skills, and some telepathic as well."

"Just like Jean," said Storm, frowning slightly.

Amanda nodded. "Like her, yes, but definitely not that powerful. Hell, I wasn't ever sure I was a mutant until this morning." Had it really been just that morning? "I understand Jean was very special to you all."

Rogue nodded. "We all loved her. We miss her a lot..."

"Three years is a long time," Amanda said. Storm looked at her strangely.

"How do you know it's been three years?" she said, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.

"Scott's not the only one who lost a loved one to the events of three years ago," Amanda replied, her eyes hardening.

Storm seemed to understand, and nodded sympathetically. "I don't think Scott's been the same ever since..."

"Neither has Logan," added Rogue.

Amanda threw her hands up in exasperation. "Who is this Logan person everybody keeps talking about?! Wherever I go, all I hear is Logan, Logan, Logan!"

"Someone called?" said a gruff voice from behind them. Amanda spun around to find a tall, muscular, solidly-built man in faded blue jeans and a white T-shirt standing behind them.

"Are you Logan?" she asked, eyeing the sideburns and windswept-looking hair approvingly.

"Yeah," he answered slowly, one eyebrow raised. "Who're you?"

"I'm Amanda," she stuck out her hand, which he shook slowly, one eyebrow still raised. "So, tell me... Who are you, _exactly_?"

The other eyebrow joined the first on its way to Logan's hairline. "I'm Logan," he said blankly. "Who is this?" he demanded, glaring at Storm and Rogue, both of whom were giggling hysterically.

"I'm Amanda." She raised an eyebrow at the giggling pair before turning back to Logan. "I just came in today. Apparently, I'm a telekinetic and a telepath. What do you do?"

Logan clenched a fist in front of her face and pushed. _Snikt_snapped out the adamantium claws. "This."

Amanda blinked. Then a grin made its way across her face. "Cool. Anything else?"

"Yeah." Logan withdrew his claws from her face. "I've got heightened hearing, plus a hypersensitive sense of smell." He looked her over. "And at the moment I sense an empty stomach. I'm going down to the kitchen to grab a bite. You interested?"

Amanda's grin widened. "Sure," she looped an arm through his, and the pair of them walked off, Logan unwinding her arm from his with a barely disguised growl. Storm and Rogue had by now stopped giggling and now stood staring at the backs of their retreating figures in awe.

"What did we just witness?" said Rogue.

"I'm not exactly sure," answered Storm, and the pair of them promptly started giggling again.

**-X-**

Amanda gawked as she entered the kitchen with Logan. "Wow," she said, standing in the center and turning slowly on the spot. It was an enormous room: black counters all around, with exceptions for where the refrigerator, stove and dishwasher stood. Wooden cabinets lined the walls, elegant and simple. An island-counter stood in the middle of the large room. **(A/N: I decided to alter the kitchen a bit; hope you forgive me ;D) **"Wow," she said again, sitting on a stool at the island. "I think I need to sit down."

"What's up?" said Logan's voice from the depths of the refrigerator. "Never been in a kitchen before?" He came up with a carton of orange juice, for lack of anything better, and took a swig straight from the carton.

"Oh, sure," replied Amanda, swiping the juice from him and looking around for a glass. "It's just that – my whole apartment back home could fit in this kitchen. I'm not used to such standards."

"Yeah," Logan said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Took me a while to get used to it too."

"So, what _is_ your story?" said Amanda. "I mean – hello. Who's this?" Amanda grinned at the blue demon-like figure that had appeared on the countertop, accompanied by a _bamph_and a small cloud of dark-blue smoke.

Logan groaned. "If he doesn't tell you himself, I'll eat my pants."

The blue demon smiled, revealing pointed white fangs. "And we wouldn't want to see that, I'm sure." He turned to Amanda. "Guten Tag. My name is Kurt Wagner," he said, and jumped off the counter, landing on the floor with surprising agility and grace, a long, spade-tipped blue tail following him. "But in the Munich Circus they called me The Incredible Nightcrawler!" he took a seat on one of the tall stools around the counter. "What is your name?"

Amanda grinned at his heavy German accent. She adored Europeans. "I'm Amanda. Professor Xavier brought me over just today. He says I'm a telekinetic and a telepath. That's some power you've got there," she added, indicating the still-disappearing, brimstone-scented blue smoke. "How do you do it?"

Kurt shrugged. "I do no know. I simply think about where I want to go, and then – _bamph_ – I disappear." He clutched the rosary that hung looped at his belt. "Or at least that is what they tell me. Guten Morgen, Logan."

"Mornin', blue. Juice?"

Kurt shook his head politely. "Nein, danke. You know I always prefer water." He turned back to Amanda. "Can you use your powers yet?" he inquired.

Amanda shook her head. "No, not yet. I don't even know how to –"

"Ask the Professor," suggested Logan, taking another swig of orange juice.

"Mm," said Amanda, fiddling with the necklace that hung around her throat. "I suppose I could, yeah... Do you know how?" she turned to Kurt.

Kurt's golden eyes widened. "Me?"

"Mm-hm." Amanda nodded. "You teleport yourself, don't you? That's using your mind to transport yourself, in a way, isn't it? You move yourself; I need to move other things. Kind of similar, don't you think?"

"Mm, I suppose so... When I teleport myself, I think of moving, I think of the place I want to be ... and I move. Perhaps I _can_ help... See that glass over there?" he pointed his tail at a glass sitting next to the sink. Amanda nodded. "Try and move it into the sink."

"Into the sink... how?"

Kurt shrugged. "I would not know. Think it. Think about moving it. Make it move. Bit by bit. Close your eyes, if you think it will help." He stood behind her and placed both three-fingered hands over her temples. "First of all, relax. Calm your mind. Now, visualize the glass moving. Will it to move."

_Will it to move?_ Thought Amanda. _How do I do that?_

As though reading her mind, Kurt lifted his hands and said, "Slowly. Carefully. Ask it to move."

"_Ask _it to move?" said Amanda, eyes still closed. _All right then... please move...? _Amanda concentrated hard. In her mind she imagined the glass moving – just a bit – a bit to the right – a bit more –

_THUNK._

Amanda opened her eyes. The glass had landed at the bottom of the sink with a dull thud. Amanda narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the tap. She took in a breath, and the tap turned on. The water streamed down into the glass directly below. When the glass was full, she exhaled, and the tap turned off. Amanda concentrated again. Bit by bit, the glass lifted, and hovered in the air, just a few inches off the countertop. It dropped gently in front of Kurt.

He looked at her, and she winked. "You said you preferred water..."

"Danke," he smiled. Logan rolled his eyes and hoisted himself off the chair, abandoning the juice carton on the countertop as he said, "Well, I'm off. Show her around, would'ja, Nightcrawler? You don't wanna get lost in this place, kid, trust me."

"I will," promised Kurt, and Amanda grinned at the though of being led around a mansion of such proportions by a blue-skinned, fanged, golden-eyed, pointy-eared, tailed man. What was more, she could now move things with her thoughts alone! Granted – only a glass of water so far, but it was something, right?

Amanda looked around for another glass. She concentrated hard on it, and gradually it rose off the countertop and floated over to her outstretched hand. She filled it up with juice and took a sip. "So," she said idly, letting her eyes run over Kurt's face, admiring the strange scar-tattoos that ran down it. She would ask another time. "Does everybody here have code-names?"

Kurt nodded. "Usually they come with the gifts we each possess. Herr Logan, for example, is known as Wolverine, for his claws and his hypersensitive senses. Herr Scott is Cyclops – he sometimes wears a visor instead of the glasses. It allows him to release controlled beams of energy. Fräulein Ororo can manipulate the weather; therefore she is known as Storm."

"And Rogue?" said Amanda. "She seems to have had a hard life."

Kurt nodded. "She has indeed. She cannot touch anybody with her bare skin, for she absorbs their life force. With mutants, she usually absorbs their gifts." He chuckled slightly. "She and Logan have nearly killed each other three or four times already – by accident, no!" he added quickly at her horrified look. "It was by accident. She somehow managed to get herself stabbed by his claws. But she absorbed his powers – among other things, Logan has the ability to heal himself almost instinctively – even bullet wounds."

"So she absorbed his healing powers... what happened to him?"

"He recovered; we all do. Merely a feeling of nausea for the first while – but should she hold on for too long, Rogue could very easily kill you."

Amanda shuddered. "That's awful. How does she – I mean, does she...?"

"She has a boyfriend, yes. Bobby. Iceman – he has the ability to create ice and is very comfortable in cool places. He is, however, rather sensitive to heat."

Amanda grinned. "Bobby... point him out to me when I see him, okay?"

Kurt nodded. "I shall do my best. In the meantime, would you care for that tour Logan mentioned earlier?" He held out an arm.

"Sure, why not?" Amanda grinned and took the offered hand. "Lead the way, Mister Wagner."

"Please, Fräulein, call me Kurt," he said as he lead her on one of the most amazing tours she had ever had the pleasure of experiencing – the White House included. The place was absolutely _enormous_. It had three levels, the first consisting of the Professor's office and the common rooms – which were quite nicely equipped with TVs, computers, jukeboxes, foozball and even a pinball machine; the second containing the cafeteria and the classrooms. The third level was the students' dormitories, and the teachers' quarters. Kurt showed Amanda the spare rooms which were available.

"So," he Kurt once the tour had been complete, "which room do you choose for your own?"

Amanda bit her lip, thinking back on the different rooms he had shown her. "Well... I liked the one with the blue quilt on the bed... And the second room, the one with the white curtains. And the one next to Logan's room was nice..." She disentangled the two striped chopsticks from the mess of brown fuzziness that was her hair. "I think I'll take the one with the curtains, yes. It's reasonably big, but not too large, and it's got the shower..."

"Wunderbar," said Kurt, smiling. "It's quite close to my room. Come. " He took her hand and led her to room with the white curtains hanging in the windows. "Settle in. Make this your home."

Amanda sat on the bed located under the window. "But I don't have any ... my stuff. It's all at home..."

"That's what we're here for, to take you shopping," said Storm as she and Rogue stepped in. "Nice choice, by the way."

Amanda grinned. "Thanks. We're going shopping?"

"Yep," said Rogue, securing her gloves in place. "We're taking you on a girls' day out."

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Define 'girls' day out.'"

Storm sat down on the bed next to her. "You don't have any of your stuff here, do you?" Amanda shook her head. "Well then, you'll need something to wear in this next week, no? That's what we're going to do. I know a good spot for shopping. Reasonable prices, and good clothes."

"Sounds good," said Amanda, nodding. "I do need a few new pairs of jeans, even with the ones I've got at home... I haven't gone shopping in forever."

"Good, then," said Rogue. "This is an opportunity for you."

"Have fun," said Kurt, excusing himself with a _banph_ and his cloud of sulfurous blue smoke. Amanda twisted her hair back up into a knot and secured it in place with the chopsticks.

"All right then," she said. "What are we waiting for?"

"The right opportunity to steal Scott's car keys," said Rogue, a sly smile on her lips. "It's the coolest in the garage. Usually it's Logan that goes around hijacking Scott's rides, but today we wanna to go shopping with style."

"With Scott's style, you mean," grinned Amanda.

"Yeah," agreed Rogue. "C'mon. I'm driving."

* * *

**Authoress's notes:** well then. The girls are off to have some fun. Did ya'll like the bit with Amanda and Logan, and Kurt? I just love those two. :::drools::: _(Special thanks to Rowena Zahnrei for letting me copy all those German words :P)_


	6. Shopping and Planning

**Authoress's notes: **I had so many déjà vu-s writing this chapter that I was sure I'd already read it somewhere. Other than in my notebook, I mean. It was _freaky..._

**Reviewers' Response:**

**lea**** – **Logan doesn't need a cool car; he's cool enough on Scott's stolen -- err, borrowed -- motorcycle

**chelsey**** – **love triangle... hmmm. :::thinks about it for a while::: I'd rather not say anything so early in the fic ;)****

**Moose the Ice Queen – **nice change of penname, hehe. Glad you're lovin' it.

**Silverone3 – **Kurt? Blue? Tail? What's not to like?! . But I won't force him down your throat. Bobby... is just cute, in my opinion. Kind of goodey-two-shoes next-door sweet-guy cute. :::shrugs::: Every one and their own taste :P

**LadyV77 – **oooh, characterization! Haven't heard that one in my reviews for quite a while. Glad you liked it. I considered writing Kurt's accent, but it got too annoying so I dropped it and went for the German words here and there. :) M'fraid I didn't write the shopping scene itself... but I hope it's still okay.

**Transcendental** - :::squeal::: thanks for all the compliments! Have I managed to escape your wrath by not describing Scott' car?

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**Chapter 6: Shopping and Planning.**

It was one of those dream-shopping-days like in the movies, where only snippets of the girls in different outfits are seen, having a blast, while music plays in the background. Storm and Rogue took Amanda to a long street full of shops, and they spent an enjoyable few hours walking from store to store, stopping at a juice-bar for a freshly-squeezed orange juice or lemonade, standing by the pretzel-stand waiting for the salty pretzels to finish. The day was warm and sunny, and Amanda quickly lost herself in the rush of shopping.

She had never been an avid fan of 'shopping-days', but today she was having a good time; Storm showed her the best shops and Rogue pushed her into the dressing booth again and again with pairs of jeans or shirts and blouses to try on. Though it was more than a bit exhausting, Amanda had to admit that Storm and Rogue both had quite good taste, and rightly judged her character and style of dress.

They returned to the Institute laden with bags; they exited the garage and came into the entrance hall to see Logan and Scott, standing ten feet apart, bellowing at each other. A young man of about Rogue's age stood a few feet apart from them both, running a hand through his curly, blondish hair with a bewildered look on his face as very rude words were exchanged between the older men.

"What is going on here?" demanded Storm, stepping in between them. "Why are you shouting at each other like this?"

Rogue went up to the curly-haired man and gave him a quick peck on the cheek – _Not long enough to absorb anything,_ Amanda found herself thinking. _That must be Bobby._

Her thoughts were confirmed when he smiled at her and then extended his hand and said, "I'm Bobby, or Iceman. You've got to be Amanda. Nice to have you here. Hope you feel welcome. And don't mind them," he jerked his head at Scott and Logan.

"I don't," she replied with a grin, "They're just big babies. I do feel welcome, thanks. I take it you're Rogue's boyfriend?" Amanda noticed her hand was rather cold, the hand Bobby had shook. Iceman indeed.

"Yeah," he smiled at her.

"Where are my car keys, you animal?!" bellowed Scott, ignoring them all completely.

"For the millionth time, One-Eye, I don't have them!" roared Logan. "Why is it that whenever something of yours disappears around here, I'm the first to blame?"

"Because it usually is you, Logan," said Rogue, fighting down a smile.

"You stay outta this, kid," Logan growled at her. Rogue simply grinned.

"Oh, but I know what this is all about," she said, nonchalantly dangling the aforementioned keys from her hand. The two men stared at her.

"You –" said Scott, dumbstruck.

Logan, on the other hand, started to laugh. Amanda was already doubled over, tears forming in her eyes. Logan ran a hand through his wild hair, saying, "I've been a bad influence on you, kid. Sorry, Scooter," he added to Scott, "but for once I really wasn't to blame." He ruffled Rogue's hair slightly and walked off.

"Not directly, at least," said Storm. She shook her head at his retreating form, as though thinking 'He's hopeless.' She turned to Scott. "I'm sorry, Scott; we took Amanda out to do a bit of shopping. She doesn't have any of her things here, not even clothes... She didn't have any time to pack, after all..."

Scott looked uncomfortable at this. "Oh. Well. I suppose it is out fault... Just ... _warn_ me next time, ok?"

"Will do," said Amanda, giving him a mock salute and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for being such a cutie." She gave him a smile and left for her new room, beckoning for Storm and Rogue to follow her. Scott stared at them, a bewildered look still on his face; Bobby was grinning.

"She's good," Rogue whispered to Storm.

Amanda laughed. "Why, thank you, Rogue. Years of charming the pants off your boss _have_ to pay off sometime, in the long run... Is Scott always such a softie?"

"Actually," said Storm, "I think he's become a bit cold since ... since Jean. But let's talk about something else for now. Have you thought of a code-name for yourself yet?"

"No, not yet, I – ah! Kurt, you have _got_ to stop doing that!" she said as he materialized before her, his usual cloud of blue smoke wafting in her face. She scowled at him. "Don't you use doors?"

Kurt grinned devilishly. "My apologies, Liebchen. But in Kitty's words: We have evolved beyond the need for doors and walls."

"Kitty?"

"Kitty Pryde," said Storm as she hung up a particularly nice blouse that she herself had convinced Amanda to buy and fully intended to borrow someday. "She has the ability to phase through solid things. She rarely uses doors anymore, except when the Professor's around. He doesn't like it when the kids use their powers too much around the school..."

"Oh, but he's allowed?" Amanda pointed at Kurt, who nodded. "Well, isn't that fair," she said sarcastically.

"Ah, but we are adults," said Kurt with mock seriousness. "We are responsible."

Amanda grinned at him. "Yeah, I'm sure you are."

Kurt merely smiled. "Did you have a nice shopping trip?"

"A-ha," nodded Amanda, and promptly emptied all her bags on the bed. "Storm and Rogue are the best fashion advisers I have ever had. Look here: I got four pairs of amazing jeans –" she pointed at the four pairs, "and some cool shirts –" she showed him her favorite, a light-blue one with an orange caricature cat that started with his tail and hind legs at the back and finished with his head and front legs at her stomach. In large orange letters above his head was 'I go all the way.' "Cool, isn't it?"

"I still don't think you really get what that means," said Rogue. "The Professor is not going to like this shirt... this _is_ a school, after all."

"Aw, shut up, Rogue. I understand perfectly well what this shirt means. Keep in mind that I've been working at a bar for the past few years – I hear plenty of dirty talk all night. It kinda sticks with you..." she winked at Kurt.

"What is this...? Oh." Kurt promptly dropped the bra he had come across. "I see you had a 'girls' day out' in every way."

"Really, Kurt," said Amanda. "I don't have anything here with me! I need _some_thing to wear for my time here, at least until I get my old stuff – if I stay, that is."

"You are not staying for sure?" he asked, his tail swaying.

Amanda shrugged. "Who knows? So far, I like it here. Keep being nice and I'll stay." She smiled at him. "You need to introduce me to everybody I haven't met yet. Especially this Kitty Pryde... she could be trouble."

"Kitty, trouble?" said Rogue, raising an eyebrow. "Are you by any chance psychic as well? 'Cause you've just predicted the whole situation."

"Is she that bad?" Amanda grinned. "I have to meet here. Kurt, would you by any chance know where she is?"

Kurt nodded. "She likes to watch television in the second common room. Come, I'll show you."

"No, wait... can you teleport others?"

Storm and Rogue grinned at each other.

Kurt nodded. "Yes – would you like to try?"

"Would I? You bet your tail I would! What do I do?"

"Just... hold tight."

"Can do." Amanda clamped her hands around his shoulders, grinning as his tail wrapped around her waist as an extra precaution. "Ready when you are."

Kurt nodded at Storm and Rogue. "I shall see you at dinner. Here we go, Amanda."

"You can call me Manda," heard Storm and Rogue as the blue smoke enveloped the pair. "Oooh..."

Amanda opened her eyes and released Kurt from her grip. As the blue smoke disappeared gradually, she could see that they were indeed in a common room, one with a television, several computers, and a foozball table. Several children of various ages sat around the room, either at chairs in front of the computers or couches in front of the television – one particular girl stood out for the scowl she was wearing. **(A/N: don't you find it strange that in X1 she was fourteen or so, and suddenly in X2 she's this 6-year old girl in a nightgown? I'm using a 16-year old version of her for this fic.)**

"Kurt, I know you like teleporting around instead of walking, but why do you always teleport to that exact spot?" She pouted. "You're in front of the TV!"

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Should I come and introduce myself some other time?"

The girl's face brightened as she noticed her. "No, no! Not at all – I don't mind the TV if there's someone new to explore. What's you name?"

"Amanda. Are you Kitty?"

"Yeah," Kitty grinned. "I walk through walls." She cocked her head to the side. "What do you do?"

"Not much, so far." Amanda sank into a pouf next to the couch. "Professor Xavier only brought me here today; I haven't had much time to learn anything... I'm a telekinetic and a telepath, but so far all I've managed it to move a glass of water. Kurt taught me." She smiled at him.

"Kurt?" Kitty looked at the blue mutant. "How did he manage that?"

Kurt shrugged, settling down in a couch. "Amanda convinced me that I could teach her. She claimed that I move myself with my mind when I teleport. I told her what I do when I teleport, and she tried it, and she succeeded. It was all to her credit."

"Hmm."

"Does that mean anything in particular?" inquired Amanda.

Kitty smiled at her. "It means I like you." She held out a hand. Amanda took it; but it slipped right through hers –

"Oh, that is cheating," she said, grinning. "I like you too. We'll make one hell of a team –"

"You mean, you'll wreck havoc on the school. Ach, I can see it coming already..."

"Shut up, Kurt, before I smack you," said Kitty, but she was smiling.

"Whatever you wish, Kätzchen."

**-X-**

"Hey, Kitty?"

"Yeah?"

"How does the schedule go here?"

"Easy. School – the classrooms are all on the second floor – school starts at eight-thirty. We go to the cafeteria at eleven – that's break. School's until two in the afternoon; then lunch is at three. **(A/N: don't flame me about this one. I live in Israel; the school systems are different than the US. If anyone would like to contribute, I'll change it.) **After then we can do whatever we want – usually, that'd be homework, but not specifically cause we want to."

"Are they that bad?"

"Yep. Anyway, we sometimes have organized games – basketball, baseball, soccer. The kitchen's open whenever, so you can search for snacks any time. Dinner's usually at eight, in the cafeteria. The kitchen, I repeat, is open 24/7, so midnight snacks are always an option – nobody seems to _really_ sleep in this place."

Amanda grinned. "I'm going to like it here."

"Are you going to teach? Ooh, _Ricky Lake._"

"I really have no clue. I'll have to talk to Professor Xavier. He said I could teach if I wanted to... The thing is, I don't think there's anything I _could_... I don't have a teacher's degree..."

"What did you do before you came here?" Kitty had settled on Ricky Lake and would not relinquish the remote control.

"I worked at a boring, fancy restaurant during the day..."

"And at night?"

"I was a bartender."

"Cool!"

"Yeah." Amanda suddenly felt depressed. "I've only been gone today so far, and I already miss it."

"We could always have a party – a school dance, if you will. Maybe for Halloween."

"Kitty, that's a great idea!" cried Amanda. She then spotted the beginnings of blue smoke in the air in front of Kitty. "A bit to the left, Kurt!" she hollered.

"Huh?" said Kitty. "What – hey!"

The tiny whiff of smoke had disappeared, and with a larger one, a bit to the left, Kurt materialized. "Guten Abend," he said. "How did you I was coming?"

"I saw the smoke," Amanda said simply. "Hey Kurt, Kitty had an idea just now."

Kurt grinned at the girl. "Do I want to know?"

Amanda laughed. "Don't worry; it's nothing dangerous. We just want to plan a Halloween party."

"A Halloween party? Not a bad idea. We could take the children shopping. They do need to get out sometimes..."

"Amen to that!" said Kitty. "Then it's settled. I'll bring it up at dinner. Which would be in ... ten minuets," she added, checking the clock on the wall.

"Ten minuets?" said Amanda. "I'd better get ready, then. Kurt, would you...?"

"Of course, Fräulein. Hold tight," he held out an arm. Amanda took it and said, "Bye, Kitty!" before the blue smoke hid them from view.

* * *


	7. Training with Professor X

**Authoress's notes: **you all have no idea how much the reviews mean to me. Really. So many compliments – and I'm so glad to have a few regulars. It's exciting! The one comment that seems to be repeating is that the story is _smooth_ -- for which I'm so glad. This is, after all, a repost. I got as far as chapter 5 last time before taking it off. I worked on it a bit more, and now I feel more confident about writing it. Makes me go fuzzy all over!

**Reviewers' Response:**

**Married 2 Hugh Jackman – **hehe, nice new name.

**chelsey-pudge** – hi! Amanda's interaction with the guys... she's just this casual girl who's fun to be around, so they like her ;D

**Moose the Ice Queen – **gah! I noticed that one too! It annoyed me sooooooo much! I mean, I guess they didn't know they were going to get more into the whole Pyro issue in X2, so they didn't think about the actor too much...

**Ranger-Xion – **realistic! Descriptive! Yay! Thanks!!

**Rowena Zahnrei **- ooh, thanks! I'm very glad I reposted after working on it a bit more; I feel that it really is smoother :D You know – I just spent a 2 days about a week ago re-reading _An Unsung Hero_; I understood a few things better this time, having looked through a few comics references... it was nice to read such a well-written story again! PS... I left the cranky hair just for you! :)

**Silverone3 – **all right, thanks for the timetable. I suppose I can leave it like it is... I don't feel like messing around with it too much. You know, I actually do kind of understand what you meant about Kurt -- even if you don't find him attractive physically, he's got a really great personality. So kind and shy and cute! Did you have fun on your Halloween party? We don't celebrate it in Israel, so.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Training With Professor X.**

"Professor Xavier?"

"Yes, Kitty?" Xavier looked up from his plate, smiling at her.

"Amanda and I want to plan a Halloween party."

"Well, it's a wonderful idea. Did you ask everybody?"

Kitty nodded eagerly. She and Amanda and Kurt had been roaming between the tables of the cafeteria for the past quarter of an hour, asking everybody's opinion. This also gave Amanda an opportunity to meet anybody she had not yet met.

"Almost everybody agrees, Kitty," said Amanda, coming up to stand with an elbow resting on Kitty's shoulder. "All we need is your approval, Professor Xavier."

"And I grant it wholeheartedly, Amanda. What of the students who do not wish to come?"

"They don't have to," Amanda shrugged.

"But anybody who does come has to wear a costume," said Kitty, grinning.

"All right," said Xavier, "then it's settled. We shall take the children shopping for costumes this weekend. Any volunteers?" he looked around the table, at Storm, Scott, Logan, Hank, Bobby and Rogue.

"We'll all go," said Rogue. "We'll need costumes too, after all."

"I think I'll pass," said Dr. Hank McCoy, shaking his furry blue head. "I'll come to the party, but I think I'm a bit too ... _conspicuous,_ out in public."

"Ja, me too," said Kurt. "I should be able to find a suitable costume, however."

"Excellent," said Xavier. "I shall put up a notice on the notice board."

"Great," said Amanda, and turned to go back to her table with Kitty and Kurt when Xavier called her back.

"I'm happy to see that you've already acquired a few friends," he said. "I don't think you've met Dr. McCoy, though." He gestured at the huge, blue-furred man sitting two seats down. Amanda smiled at him.

"Pleasure to meet you, Dr. McCoy."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Norron. And call me Hank," he said, smiling back. Amanda noticed that under the blue hair on his face, he wore thin round glasses. He seemed a smart, interesting person.

"Well then, you call me Amanda."

"All right then."

"Okay then."

The pair looked at each other for a few seconds before Rogue began to giggle. The professor joined in, and gradually the whole table loosened up. "Won't you sit with us, Amanda?" said Xavier. Amanda shook her head, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"No, I'm sorry, I've promised Kitty and Mel... I'm starting to really like those two."

"Very well then. I think tomorrow would be a good time to start with your telekinetic training. How do you feel about eight-thirty?"

"Eight-thirty's great. Where should I go?"

"Meet me in the entrance hall."

"Great. See you in the morning!"

**-X-**

"Amanda. Amanda, wake up. Com on now, you don't want to be late for your training with Herr Professor, do you?"

Training.

Professor Xavier.

Late.

Amanda opened her eyes. "Shit. What time is it?" she asked Kurt.

"Only seven thirty, but if you want to do anything else before eight-thirty, then you'd better get started."

"Ugh, yeah. Thanks, Kurt." She got out of the bed, unaware of Kurt starting to blush, as she was wearing nothing beyond a pair of boxer shorts and a sports bra. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She kissed his cheek as she sleepily made her way to the bathroom, gathering a pair of jeans and a T-shirt on the way. Kurt thanked God for his blue skin, then waited politely as Amanda showered and dressed. He smiled at her as she came out of the bathroom, braiding her hair.

"Guten Morgen. That was quick."

Amanda shrugged. "I'm not into long showers. And besides, I'll be needing the extra time for other things."

"Such as?" said Kurt.

"Breakfast," Amanda grinned. "I'm sure you're hungry too. And I also have to find the entrance hall before eight-thirty itself rolls around."

"I could help you with that, you know," Kurt offered her an arm. "Shall we go down to breakfast, Fräulein?"

"Such a gentleman," remarked Amanda as she took it, and the two of them headed to the cafeteria for breakfast with Kitty and her friends.

**-X-**

"Good luck, Amanda."

"Thanks, Kurt," Amanda smiled as he teleported out of the hall after having helped her find it. Professor Xavier arrived a few minuets later, which was still four minuets before eight-thirty. He smiled at her.

"I always appreciate students who arrive on time," he said, and Amanda grinned sheepishly.

"You'll have to thank Kurt for that. He woke me up; otherwise I think I'd have slept through the morning."

"Hmm. Perhaps you ought to purchase an alarm clock."

Amanda chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. So what's up for today's lesson?"

"Enthusiastic, are we?"

"You have no idea." Amanda rubbed her hands together, both nervous and excited at once.

"Follow me." Xavier led her to his office, where he motioned for her to sit at the chair near his desk. Amanda sat somewhat nervously; she had never done well in offices.

"No need to be nervous," said Xavier, smiling at her. "I won't give you a detention." Amanda put a hand to her temple and frowned slightly, saying, "Quit snooping. If you want to know how I feel you can always ask. You don't have to poke around my brain, no matter how subtle you thing you're being."

Xavier smiled, much to Amanda's surprise. "I was merely testing you," he said. At Amanda's blank look, he continued, "I wanted to check how sensitive you were. If you felt me in your mind, then I daresay you'd be quite hard to notice yourself."

"You mean, when I enter somebody else's mind?"

"Yes. But we'll leave that for another lesson. Today we'll focus on telekinesis. As you know, I assume, telekinesis involves moving objects using one's mind alone. Do you remember ever doing something like this in the past three years? Mostly by accident. Perhaps sometime when you were emotional, or scared, or –"

"Does bored out of my mind count?"

"Excuse me?"

Amanda shrugged. "I was sitting in the kitchen in my apartment. I was bored. Booooored to death. So I looked at one of my coffee mugs on the shelf. I looked at it, and I looked at it, and I looked at it, and after a good half an hour of staring at the poor mug, it dropped to the floor. Broke into a hundred teeny-tiny pieces, my favorite coffee mug." She pouted.

"Hmm." Xavier ran a hand along the armrest of his wheelchair. "That's peculiar. I suppose boredom could also qualify as an intense emotion…"

"Oh, that particular boredom was intense," Amanda confirmed with a slight grin.

"Well then. If you've done it before by accident, then I'm sure you'll be able to do it purposely." He reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out a marble. He placed it on the desk, holding it in place for a few seconds to be sure it would not roll around. "Now. I want you to try and move this marble, using only your mind. In order to do that –"

Xavier stopped as the marble in question rolled to the left. He frowned and put it back in its place at the center of the desk. "In order to do that, you must –" he stopped as, once more, the marble rolled to the left. He reached out to take it but, as though avoiding his grasp, the marble rolled around again. Xavier gave chase, his fingers grasping at the marble, until he looked up and saw Amanda grinning. The marble stopped rolling around crazily.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Xavier questioned.

"Just yesterday," replied Amanda. "In the kitchen. Kurt taught me."

"Kurt? How did he manage that?"

Amanda shrugged. "It was my idea, mostly. I convinced him that his teleporting could be similar to telekinesis. He told me to relax and ask the glass to move."

"Ask it to move? Well, I suppose that's his approach. Today I'll ask you to try it a bit differently than glasses. This marble –" he placed it on the table. This time Amanda let it be. "This marble is very small. I see you can manage to move it around. Do you think you can you lift it?"

"Um – I can try." Amanda concentrated on the marble. _Come on… please? Oh come on, Manda. If you can move it left and right then you can move it up as well. _Gradually, the marble rose a bit, hovering inches off the desktop. It wobbled there for a second before dropping once more. Amanda sighed. "It won't work..."

"Try again," said Xavier, gently but firmly. "Don't give up after just one try."

"Oh don't you worry, Professor. I'm not the kind who gives up so easily. I'll be here till dinner if that's what it takes."

Amanda concentrated hard. The marble rose again, and this time it stayed in the air, hovering at Amanda's eye-level. Amanda concentrated on keeping it there.

"Well done."

Amanda jumped. The marble dropped to the desk. "Sorry," she looked at Xavier. "You startled me."

"Ah, then we need to work on that, don't we? Lift it again. Concentrate on keeping it in the air."

Amanda nodded and concentrated again. When the marble was in the air again, Xavier spoke in a quiet, soothing voice. This time Amanda was ready for him, and the marble stayed airborne – instead of blocking out his voice, she let the cultured tones wash over her, without disturbing them nor they disturbing her.

"Very good." Xavier took another marble from the drawer and held it next to the first one in the air. "Do you think you can manage another one?"

Amanda split her focus. Half went to keeping the first marble in the air, while the other half she used to support the second. It worked.

"Can you move them around?"

Amanda concentrated. The first marble moved around the second, like a planet orbiting the sun.

"Wonderful," said Xavier. "A few more?"

Amanda never took her eyes off the marbles as she nodded, though the orbiting marble slowed down a bit. "Try me."

Slowly, Professor Xavier added marble after marble, until Amanda was spinning a dozen marbles up in the air. He chuckled as she arranged them to form a smiley-face, then a heart, then a question mark.

"Excellent," he said, holding up a small cloth bag. Once by one, Amanda guided the marbles into it. Xavier closed the bag and handed it to her. "I want you to practice with these marbles every day. Tomorrow we'll work on your telepathy. I think you've quite a lot of potential. Also..."

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I was merely wondering... how do you feel here, so far?"

Amanda grinned. "So far, so good. The company's much better than where I used to live, and the food's good."

Xavier's eyebrows rose. "Well, I must say that's the first time I've heard that."

Amanda laughed. "When you've been living on coffee by day, beer by night, and junk-food in-between for too long, even cafeteria food could be delicious. Besides, the food here is much better than normal cafeteria food." She stood up. "Thanks for the lesson. I'll practice, I promise. Same time tomorrow?"

Xavier nodded. "Why don't you ask Kurt to show you the classrooms? Perhaps you'll get an idea of anything you'd like to teach. It can be anything, Amanda; you don't have to settle for teaching the kids mathematics. Be creative. I'm sure you'll think up something outrageous."

Amanda smiled at him. "Was that a complement?"

Xavier smiled back at her. "I suppose so, yes."

"All right then. Now, where can I find that blue mutant of mine...?"

"I believe he is in his room at the moment. Ask him to give you another tour."

"Will do, sir." Amanda gave him a salute and stepped out of the office, making her way up the staircase and to Kurt's room.

* * *

**Authoress's notes:** hehe. This chapter was fun to write. I loved the bit with the marble. The idea came to me in the shower, as usual. I swear, my muse must be a water nymph or something :::shakes head in mock-sadness::: 


	8. Of Marbles, Costumes and Crushes

**Authoress's note:** WHOA, sorry for the lateness. This chapter is a bit of a bore, I'm afraid, but I need something to bridge it with the other chapters... this is what I came up with. Don't sue me. At lest I'm introducing a new OC! Everyone, meet Melavina! (I've mentioned her before, but you only meet her now )

**Reviewers' Response:**

**MLV the Ice Queen (hehe, you keep changing your name...) - **I hope I can keep writing on forever and ever – I know the feeling of how it is waiting for a really good story you love to update (lol, aren't I flattering myself? ). I'm glad you like my versions of Kurt and Professor X. I do try :P

**Pyro Lady – **that's strange, your spelling was always okay – you've reviewed before now... but never mind. About advice – which twins were you talking about? I know Gambit, but I haven't read the comics or seen a lot of Evolution, so I wouldn't know. If you need any advice you can always ask, though. I'm here :D

**chelsey-pudge**** – **I think so too :P but Logan's also so cute... so I'm in a dilemma.

**Silverone3 – **hehe, rowdy friends you've got there! Van Helsing, ahh!! I loved that movie. Saw it twice in the theater and again (a friend's burned DVD) at home. Hugh is so cute there! We don't celebrate Halloween, true, but we have what's called Purim, which is more about the fun side of costumes and festivals rather than the scary part. According to the Bible, we're supposed to drink until we're too drunk to know who's friend and who's foe. ;D

**Bananas in Pajamas – **here you are!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Marbles, Costumes, and Crushes.**

"Ja? Come in," came the answer when she knocked.

"Hi Kurt."

"Hallo." Kurt smiled at her. "How was your lesson with Professor Xavier?"

"Pretty okay. He was surprised at first, that I could already do some telekinesis. I told him you taught me."

Kurt blushed, the purplish tinge evident even on his blue skin. "I merely explained how I teleport. It was you who turned it into moving other objects."

"Yeah, but still," Amanda flopped onto Kurt's bed and chased his tail for a minuet. "It was you who helped me actually do it." She smiled up at him. "Anyways, I'm up to marbles for now. I have to practice lifting them all up and moving them around, plus learn to ignore distractions."

"And are you any good at it?"

Amanda feigned a hurt look. "You doubt me so? Of course I'm good. But I'll have to get better. Do you want to help me practice?"

"I would be happy to help." Kurt moved to sit behind her." Do you have the marbles here with you?"

"Mm-hm," said Amanda, producing the cloth bag. She emptied the marbles onto the bed. "What are you doing back there?" she turned and grinned at him over her shoulder.

"Oh, nothing. I hope I won't ... _distract_ you."

"Oh, I see," she grinned wider. "Okay then. Show me what you've got." She turned to the marbles. One by one, slowly, they rose, and hovered in a cluster in front of her face. Then she felt a tug on her shirt. A marble dropped to the bed as she started slightly. She frowned and lifted it again, bracing herself for Kurt's next distraction. It came soon enough, in the form of a poke in the lower back. The cluster of marbles wobbled.

"You're doing good," said Kurt, another distraction. She could hear the grin in his voice. She grinned slightly as well.

"Not gonna happen, blue," she said softly. Slowly, she split her concentration again. The larger portion of it went to keeping eleven marbles airborne, while about a tenth went to guiding the single last marble around the larger group. Kurt's fingers trailed up and down her back, gripping at the corners of her concentration.

_Oh no, you don't, _she thought. She switched her tactics, making eleven marbles now orbit the first.

Behind her back, Kurt's eyes widened. _Mein__ Gott, she **is** good, _he thought. _Even better than I thought.__ She is a fast learner. Let's see if she's ready for something a bit more startling..._

Amanda jumped as she felt Kurt's hand against the bare skin of her back, under her shirt. All twelve marbles dropped to the bed. She turned to look at him, her plait whipping around. "Oh, that was low, Kurt. Very low."

Kurt grinned at her. "And if you can't concentrate when someone touches you, how will you manage with people shooting at you?"

"Aw, Kurt, you're hopeless." Amanda flopped back onto her back on the bed and guided the marbles back into the bag held in Kurt's hands. "But I wouldn't have you any other way."

Kurt smiled. "That is good to know, Liebchen."

"Uh... Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"Are we _really_ going to have people shooting at us?"

Kurt merely smiled.

**-X-**

"Hi Manda."

"Tell me, Kitty, are you always here?" Amanda sat on the couch next to her.

"More or less, yeah," said Kitty, flipping through the channels. She came to rest, as usual, on Star World. "Aw, damn, I've missed half of the show!"

"Kitty, tear yourself away from the TV for a few seconds, will you?"

Kitty turned the television off. "Sorry, Manda, I don't do well with these kinds of talks. You need someone who likes to listen..." she thought for a moment, then hollered up at the ceiling, "Kurt! Get your blue ass down here!"

Within a minuet, Kurt appeared, accompanied as always by his cloud of blue smoke. "The professor will have your head for that, Kätzchen," he told Kitty. "You know he allows no swearing in the school."

Kitty frowned. "Logan swears."

Kurt raised his hands. "Logan is something else."

"You can say that again," said Kitty, grinning. "Anyway, Manda here needs a heart-to-heart talk, and I'm not one for listening much. So, have fun." She sank through the couch.

Kurt looked at Amanda. "What was that about? Do you need to talk about something?"

"Nope," Amanda grinned. "I just wanted the TV. Kitty was the one who immediately assumed I needed to talk." She flipped the television on and turned to Mtv. "Eugh, Britney Spears. Hate her. **(A/N: no offense to anyone out there who does like her XD) **So, have you though of a costume for the Halloween party yet?"

"No," said Kurt, "not yet." He sat down in the vacated seat next to Amanda and scratched the back of his head. "I have no idea what to go as. What about you?"

Amanda shrugged. "I have no idea whatsoever. I was thinking maybe a cat... or a butterfly, maybe. But I want something else. Maybe I'll go as Cleopatra?"

"I was planning on going as that," said Storm, joining the pair of them on the couch.

"Oh, that's exactly you, Storm!" said Amanda, grinning at the older woman. "Lots of gold jewelry, and a white dress... you'll look fabulous. Very exotic."

"Yes, I also think you'd make an excellent Cleopatra, Ororo," said Kurt.

"Thanks, Kurt. Amanda, we're taking the kids out on Friday, tomorrow, to do some shopping for their costumes. We'll give some time out in the world ... maybe take them again next weekend, in case they don't have everything this time. Would you like to come along?"

"Of course," replied Amanda. "I need a costume, too!"

"All right, then it's settled." Storm stood up. "By the way, dinner's in ten minuets."

"Ten minuets?" said Amanda, slapping her palm to her forehead. "Ai, how does this keep happening to me?"

**-X-**

"May I have everybody's attention please, students and staff?" The whole of the cafeteria turned to the Professor. "We will be going out this Friday –" Xavier was forced to stop here as loud cheering filled the cafeteria. "Yes, I know this excites you; the mansion does tend to get quite dull after a while, I'm sure." Xavier smiled. "Which is exactly why we plan to take you all to the nearest mall tomorrow to shop for your Halloween costumes."

Amanda grinned and cheered along with the rest of the students. "Ooh, but that means I have exactly one day to think of a costume," she said to Kitty, who grinned.

"We'll work something out, won't we, Mel?" she turned to the girl sitting next to her, Melavina Coulter. She was quite a noticeable girl, Amanda thought, and very outgoing. Her violet-purple eyes shone with mischief and her long turquoise hair was pulled into a loose braid. She greatly reminded Amanda of a Japanese Anime character.

"Oh, we will," she said. "Count on it, Manda. You'll be the prettiest thing on the dancefloor. I wonder what Scott'll come as..."

Kitty groaned. Mel's favorite pastime, other than 'wreaking havoc on the school with Kitty', as Kurt had so fondly put it, was looking at Scott, talking about Scott, thinking about Scott, and Scott. "What about you, Kurt?" she said, hoping to distract Mel from Scott with her next-favorite male of the house, the blue teleporter.

Kurt sighed. "I don't know. Do you have any ideas for me?"

Mel shrugged. "We'll work something out for you. Shouldn't be too hard. Now, what should I go as? I need something sexy ... something that'll make Scott _want­_ me..."

Kitty groaned again and took a spoonful of strawberry ice-cream. She wondered briefly whether to fling it a Melavina or not, but then realized that an act such as that would no doubt start a good-fight, and Professor Xavier would _not_ like that. She settled for eating said ice-cream.

* * *

Author's notes: Erm. As you can see, it's going to take a while before I manage to get the Halloween party in here. Of course, I couldn't have written it before the real Halloween arrived last month, so we'll all just have to settle with reading it, heh. Don't hate me for not writing quick enough! :::cries:::


	9. Halloween Shopping, and Moving In

**Authoress's note:** I'm glad you forgive me for chapter 8 – I hope this one is more interesting :)

**Reviewers' Response:**

**Pyro Lady – **okay. Listen. I suppose these characters _will_ appear sometime during the next movie, or perhaps if they'll make an X4. But I don't have any knowledge of them... the thing is, if you want your story to start out with them as known, familiar characters then I suggest you post the story in the cartoons/Evo. category. Otherwise, if you post it in the movie-verse category, you'll have to introduce them properly. If you feel you can do that then by all means, go ahead and write! Just don't ever give up is my advice :)

**chelsey-pudge**** – **cats... I have one thing to say about them:DO'H! I have a cat... and he annoys the HELL out of me. Black cat he is, big and fat, called Lucifer ;D

**Bananas in Pajamas – **YIKES, what an idea! I'll think on it ;D

**Silverone3 – **WOW, did you take a day off and hijack my profile? Suddenly I'm getting reviews from you for all of my stories! I LOVE YOU!!Ahem. O.o Anyway. I'll reply to 'em all here: I absolutely LOVE Purim. The thing is I always have to start thinking about a costume a few months earlier, since I always have a hard time coming up with one. I liked your idea for Mel's costume – but seeing as she's based on my best friend (as are most of my OCs) I'm gonna let her decide on her costume. Glad you liked _Poison. Letters To and From a Stranger _- I can't get that new stuff to work! With the keys and all, I got up to the book with chapters 2, 6 and 14, but I couldn't see any of the new stuff! It's annoying the shit out of me! And _Letters_ is DONE!! GO READ!! **Whoa that was a LONG review-response!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Halloween Shopping, and Moving In.**

"Ready?" Storm automatically counted heads as the children left the bus. "Now then. Stay put, everybody, just a second."

"We need to stay together, up to some level," said Scott, looking around at the students. "Stay in groups of three or more. Take a look through the stores, and meet back here in one hour. Then we'll assign each group of you an adult. You'll take us to the store and show us what you want for your costumes, but pay attention to the prices. We all have a budget, okay? Remember, we also need money for the party itself – decorations, music, food. Understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Summers," chorused the students, some snickering.

Rogue shook her head, laughing, and pulled Bobby off into one of the stores. Amanda went with Kitty and Melavina­­. She usually attracted some attention, with her turquoise hair and her violet-purple eyes, but today she was wearing her hair up under a cowboy-hat, so she looked nothing special, in her blue jeans and white tank-top. She had attached herself to Amanda, along with Kitty, ever since that day she had asked the professor for permission to arrange the party. She was currently talking about (what else if not?) Scott.

"But really," she said as they chose a store and ambled in, "you can't say he isn't cute."

"No?" said Kitty. "Watch me: he's not cute. That is a lie, I'll grant you that, but he's too old for you, Mel. 'Sides, he's a teacher. You can't get involved with a teacher."

"I agree with Kitty," said Amanda, earning a glare from Melavina. "No, really, Mel. You do _not_ want to get involved with a teacher. Trust me, I've been there. I nearly got expelled, and he nearly lost his job. Of course, Professor Xavier wouldn't do either, but still, you can't have anything beyond a crush when it comes to Scott."

"I know," Mel pouted. "But he's just so cuuuuuute!"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Why can't she just use her powers on her_self_, and make herself forget about him for just _one day?_"

Mel scowled. Her gift was just that – she had the ability to make a person forget things, whether it was their name, their whole life, or what they had just been looking for in their desk. The effects only lasted for one day, however, at most. That was how she wrecked havoc, mostly: going around the school 'amnesiating' people. It caused many laughs during class when a student would suddenly jump up and look frantically around, wailing, "Where am I? Who am I?" Until it happened to you, however. Amanda felt sorry for Logan, who had had to live like that for nearly twenty years now.

"Shut up, Kitty. We need to find costumes."

"Ooh, what about this?" said Kitty, holding up a sassy red skirt, with a matching red laced-top.

"Oh, that is completely you," said Amanda, grinning. "Devil girl. All you need is the horns, tail, and pitchfork."

Kitty giggled. "Wonderful. Just what I want. Devil girl."

"What about you, Manda?" said Mel.

"Hmm. I'm still not sure what I want to go as. You?"

Mel grinned. She pulled them out of the store and into the nearby 'Costumes and Co.' There she held up a kit that said, 'Playboy Bunny' in bright pink letters: tail, ears, cuffs and bowtie.

"Cute," said Kitty. "What'll you wear, though?"

Mel shrugged. "I'll find something. And here –" she held up a kit that said, in bright red letters, 'Devil' complete with horns, tail, pitchfork, and even a red bowtie. "This is what you need."

"Great," said Amanda. "So now you have your costume, Kitty. And you," she looked at Melavina, "you need clothes. Something sexy, for a playboy bunny. Let's check out a few stores. Maybe I'll also get an idea for a costume for myself."

**-X-**

"Oh, you have gotta be kidding me, Mel," said Kitty. "You can't wear that!"

"Why not?" Mel raised an eyebrow. "We're sixteen; we're allowed to wear what we want. And this," she held up the teeny-tiny strapless top, "this is just what I need. I wanna be sexy."

It was sexy, Amanda had to agree. Tiny, but sexy: white, with light-pink laces down the front, and a trim of pink fuzz at the top and bottom – which were not very far apart. It was perfect, if sexy-slutty was what she wanted.

"Ooh, and this is the other part." Mel held up a ridiculously small pair of short white pants, which also had a line of pink trim at the bottom. "I can attach the tail at the back. Hang on, let me try them together." She disappeared into a booth. A minuet later she came out, in the shorts and strapless. She was thin: thin enough to look good in them without looking anorexic. Amanda pictured her with a bit of make up and the tail, ears, and bowtie. She saw a playboy bunny.

"You've nailed the image," she told Mel, grinning at her. "But you need something more... Here we go. Try that." She handed her a pink belt, on which the black words 'SEXY' were emblazoned many times over. Mel slid it around her waist and buckled it. "Even better. I like it."

"Really?" Mel turned this way and that in front of the mirror. "So do I. Kitty?"

"I still think it's a bit slutty, but if you're looking for the playboy look then you've found it."

"That's as close to a 'yes' as you're gonna get, Mel," said Amanda, grinning. "I suggest you take it."

"What about you?" said Mel after changing back into her clothes and asking the saleswoman to keep the strapless, shorts, and belt on hold for her. They exited the shop and walked around for a while.

"I still don't know," Amanda said. "I need an idea. Something new. Something original."

"Cleopatra?"

"I said something original, Kitty, not one of the oldest costumes in the book. And besides, that's what Storm's going as."

"Storm? Hey, that'll look good on her."

"I agree," said Mel. "But right now, we have twenty minuets to secure a costume for Manda." She took off her cowboy hat and let her hair down, wincing as the hairband pulled out a few of her turquoise hairs. "Hold this a minuet, would you?" she handed the hat to Amanda as she plaited her hair into a loose braid. Amanda placed the hat on her head as she looked through her bag for a hairbrush to offer Mel.

"Amanda?"

"Muaff?" was the muffled reply, as Amanda tried to talk around the small mirror in her mouth as she used both hands to burrow into her bag. "Euagh." She handed Mel the mirror and brush. "What?" She straightened the hat on her head.

"How about you go as a cowgirl?"

Amanda's eyes flew to the rim of the cowboy hat on her head. She looked at herself in a shop window. "Not bad," she remarked. "I could go with this. Mel, could I borrow this hat for Halloween?"

"Eh?" Mel was brushing her hair out again. Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Can I borrow this hat for Halloween?"

"Yeah, sure. Why, what for?"

Now Kitty rolled her eyes. "Cowboy hat. Halter top, preferably checked. Leather skirt, preferably short. Cowboy boots. Lasso, gun. Are you getting the picture?"

Mel grinned. "Cowgirl. I like."

"Glad I have your approval," Amanda said dryly.

"My approval isn't all you need," said Mel, instantly shopping-mode. Have you got a decent skirt?"

"Nope. Don't often wear skirts."

"Why not?"

Amanda shrugged. "Who knows? Certainly not Amanda."

Kitty shook her head at Amanda. "I will never figure you out, you know that?"

Amanda grinned. "Yep. No one's ever been able to figure Amanda out completely. Not even Amanda."

Mel raised an eyebrow at her. "Why are you talking in third-person?"

"Amanda doesn't know. Amanda doesn't really care. Amanda needs to go shopping. Do Amanda's friends want to help, or shall Amanda take her sorry ass elsewhere?"

"Oh, no you don't." Mel draped an arm over Amanda's shoulder. "You're not going anywhere, except for maybe the dressing booth. We're getting you a skirt. I've got a halter top that you might like –"

"Oh, it's not the red one, is it, Mel?" said Kitty, on Amanda's other side. Amanda raised an eyebrow.

"Amanda does not do red."

"No, no," Mel waved that away. "Not the red one, Kit. The white one, with the blue checks."

"Oh, _that_ one. Yes, that one's good."

"All right then," said Amanda. "All Amanda needs now is a skirt, according to you two."

"And we know best," said Mel, grinning. "Don't we, Kit?"

"Oh yeah."

"Ok then." Amanda glanced at the two girls at either side of her. "Let's go get Amanda a skirt."

They ambled into a good-looking store, where Mel promptly found a decent-looking selection of skirts. She handed one to Amanda and pushed her into the dressing booth.

"Looking good, Manda," she said as Amanda stepped out of the small booth in the back of the store, modeling the skirt for them. It was a darkish-brown, and short. Shorter than Amanda was used to. But she liked it.

"Thanks." Amanda grinned. "I like it, too. What do you think, Kitty?"

Kitty nodded her approval. "With Mel's blue halter top, it'll be just right. All you need is a belt, a gun, and a length of rope."

"Belt and gun we can get at the costume shop," said Mel. "Rope... you never know. We'll ask Scott when we get back to the Mansion. I'm sure he'll know if there's some rope stashed somewhere, the hottie."

**-X-**

Two weeks flew by. Amanda decided to stay at the Institute, for good. This led to a somewhat awkward talk with Professor Xavier, about going back to her old apartment to pack a few things and settle moving-out with the landlord. She sold the old couch and television, leaving the kitchen as it was with its meager appliances. She took down her favorite few pictures from the wall and put them into Scott's car in a large box, along with her books. Another box contained her clothes – or at least the ones she intended to keep. She'd bought plenty new ones with Storm and Rouge. The rest of her old clothes she gave to some charity organization or another. In the last two boxes were some personal items – cosmetics, journals, old DVDs, books and odd-end clothes that hadn't fit in the first box.

"There," said Scott as he helped her with the last box. "Four boxes? That's all?"

"Yep," said Amanda. "I don't need a lot of this stuff," she gestured to the other two boxes of things to give to charity. "I bought a lot of new things with Storm and Rogue. This really is a good thing for me – a reason to clean out my drawers. I think I'm going to like my new life... Let's just see where it goes."

"Let's," said Scott, stepping into the car and seating himself in the driver's seat. "Well come on, let's go."

"Coming, coming," said Amanda, looking up at the window that used to be hers, "keep your glasses on." She stepped into the car and buckled in. "Okay," she sighed, "let's go. I don't suppose I'll be seeing this neighborhood any time soon."

"Let's hope it's for the best," said Scott. "Start a new life, like you said."

"A new life," Amanda echoed. "A life as a mutant."

"Mm, I hadn't thought of that. But I suppose this really is a completely new scenario for you, huh?"

"Yeah," said Amanda. "Tomorrow's my first telepathy session with the professor."

"You'll do well, I'm sure," said Scott, though Amanda could hear the strain in his voice.

"Thanks," she said quietly, as they drove off into her new life.

* * *

Authoress's note: well, that ended depressingly. But don't worry, next chapter will be fun – Amanda's first telepathy training session ;D 


	10. Training Once More

**Authoress's note:** YAAAAAH!! I cannot believe it. I can update!! Much sorryness for the lateness. Please don't hurt me. I'm reposting with a few more responses, since I couldn't get them into the original.

**Reviewers' Response: **

**chelsey-pudge**** – **hehe, you, er, _we_, must learn to live without our daily doses of hotness!

**blueskiezrusty**** – **O.o may I kiss you?? :::kisses; hugs::: I have _never_ gotten so many compliments in one review. Thank you! I'm sorry you had to wait – I couldn't update... :::cries:::

**Silverone3 – **blah, I hate costume shopping. No, actually it's not that bad. My only problem is actually coming up with an idea for a costume... ai.

**xImmortalx**** – **don't you worry. You have my word that Logan will be present at the Halloween party. But it's gonna be a while before I can stuff it in... :'(

**Pyro Lady **– hmm. Interesting. Amanda's powers are similar to Jean's, but that doesn't mean I'm going to pair her with Scott. As you know, Mel guards him well. She'd fight Amanda teeth and nail to get him.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Training Once More**

"Morning, Professor."

"Good morning, Amanda," said Xavier. "You're certainly up early."

"I bought an alarm clock."

"I see," Xavier chuckled. "Well, are you ready for your first telepathy lesson?" He wheeled into his office.

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Amanda, seating herself in the chair she had occupied last time. She was nervous, yes, but judging from her last lesson with Xavier, he was a good teacher. But then, she'd already done some telekinesis before her lesson; telepathy was something completely new to her. "So, how do we start with this?"

"I don't know," said Xavier, spreading his arms. "What do you think telepathy is about?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow at that. So it was explain-it-to-yourself-lesson, was it? All right then. "Telepathy... mind, mostly. It's all in the head – reading others' thoughts, manipulating them, controlling minds. At least that's what I think it is."

"Anything else?"

Amanda shrugged. "You're the expert in the room. You tell me. How was my guess?"

"Quite close. Almost exact, in fact. Telepathy does indeed involve manipulating human minds. Controlling people and reading their thoughts, as well as projecting your own into others' minds, are some of the possibilities that come with telepathy. As you learn more about your own mind, you'll be able to learn more about others as well."

"Ah, I see," said Amanda, nodding. "Understand yourself, then try and figure the rest of the world out."

"Exactly. Now, I want to try something with you. I will ask you a question. I want you to answer the first thing that comes into your mind. I shall be reading your thoughts as you answer – do you understand why?"

Amanda raised her eyebrows. "So ... to see if I'm saying what I'm thinking?"

Xavier nodded. "Very good. Sometimes we say something, while in our mind we are thinking something else completely. We may think that we speak what we think, but sometimes we just don't. I want to see how well coordinated are your mind and your ..."

"Mouth?" suggested Amanda, grinning slightly.

"Yes," Xavier's eyes showed the smile he was hiding. "Let's begin. What is your name?"

"Amanda Norron."

"Amanda Vivian Norron," said Xavier, his eyes looking out of focus slightly. Amanda wrinkled her nose at the use of her middle name, and scolded her mind half-heartedly for thinking it.

"How old are you?"

"I'll be twenty-eight in a month or so."

"Twenty-seven and ten months, twelve days," said Xavier. "What is your best friend's name?"

"As of now? No-one."

"Jennifer Halos was the last name I came across," said Xavier, one eyebrow slightly raised. "When did she stop being your friend?"

"Didn't you see that too? She stole my boyfriend."

"Yes, indeed. Now then. When is your next period?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "This Wednesday."

"Wednesday indeed. When was the first time you kissed a boy?"

Amanda frowned this time. "Ninth grade," she answered grudgingly.

"Last day of ninth grade. When was the first time you had sexual intercourse?"

Amanda's eyes widened. "Ex_cuse_ me?!" she said, franticly battling with her mind, stuffing that information into a back drawer and locking it firmly. "Oh shit. You already know anyway, don't you?"

To her surprise, Xavier smiled. "No, actually, I don't. That was the point of this exercise: I wanted to see if you could protect your mind... from other telepaths."

Amanda gave the professor a blank look, the kind of look she'd reserved for her high-school teachers when they'd ask her why she hadn't done her homework. Xavier continued.

"What I mean is this: I asked you a question you obviously though was 'none of my fucking business', as your subconscious so gently put it." Amanda grinned slightly, scolding her subconscious. "Yes; something as personal as that information truly is none of my business. Your mind thought the same, and protected the information I sought."

Amanda nodded. "Yeah... I felt it kind of... push it into a back drawer and lock it."

Xavier nodded carefully. "Perhaps the mind could be described as a chest of drawers, yes. Some drawers contain knowledge, others personal information, others thoughts, others feelings and emotions."

"Ah. I've always thought of my mind as divided into drawers, actually, yeah... I liked the idea of being able to open any dusty old drawer in a corner of my head and getting nostalgic about old crushes and embarrassing birthday-moments."

"Indeed, that could be," said Xavier. "And as you just saw, your mind locked that information in a back drawer and prevented me from seeing it; though if I concentrated, I could have breached that barrier. It was very weak, but it's a good start. It was mostly subconscious, which is why you were able to do it without actually thinking. What you need to learn to do, for now, is to conjure up a barrier like that again, a shield with which to protect your mind. Do you follow me?"

Amanda nodded. "Mm-hm. This is going to be interesting. So," she clapped her hands together and leaned forward in her chair. "How do I conjure up this barrier?"

"Think of what you did. You drew up a wall between your own thoughts and my invading ones. Imagine that you're building a wall. In fact – yes, do just that. Imagine it."

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Imagine building a wall. Brick by brick?"

"Bricks – why not. Yes, one by one. That way, when it's done, you'll have a solid, sturdy wall all of your own making, meant for one sole purpose: to protect your mind. Built by you, this wall would be ... _encoded,_ in a way, to your own personal mind, and will not let any outside thoughts enter it. Try it."

"All right then. Kicking into build-mode. Here we go." Amanda closed her eyes. Blackness greeted her, and she concentrated hard. She imagined up a crate of red bricks, hard and solid, taking the time to get it just right, down to the last detail. She placed them at the bottom of the blackness in her eyes, if there was such a thing. One by the other. After a while she was done. _Now then. Next layer._ She gently placed another red brick on the row of firsts. Then she placed another. And another. In a short time, she was up to the third layer, her eyes closed all the while. Soon enough, she felt the wall was at least as tall as her waist. She imagined herself standing up to start another row of bricks.

Unbeknownst to Amanda, Xavier was watching her intently. She had her eyes closed, her hands folded in her lap. The muscles near her eyes twitched as she strained slightly to keep them closed. He gently made his way into her mind, careful not to touch the wall he saw her building steadily. She was concentrating hard, imagining each brick down to the edges. He saw a figure of herself standing by the wall, slowly placing brick next to brick. Oddly enough, the imagined figure was wearing a bikini, getting a lovely tan as she worked. **(A/N: O.o Oh my god. This chapter was written ages ago, before I even decided on Amanda's name – you have no idea how long I just spent laughing at that!) **He chuckled. Carefully, delicately, he probed the wall. It wobbled slightly.

Amanda shifted in her chair in Xavier's office. Something had touched her wall. She concentrated harder, keeping it still. Whatever it was, it had been gentle, and hadn't done any damage. At least, it seemed so. Giving a mental shrug, she continued building her wall. She had only set down two more bricks when – there it was again! That small, amused probe._ Amused? How can a probe be amused? _Amanda thought to herself; her imagined figure, still holding a brick in one hand, shrugged to herself again. _Or maybe... is the professor trying to test me? Maybe my wall's not strong enough... he's showing me that he can get past it... Okay then. _

Amanda frowned slightly, and Xavier, having retreated from her mind, smiled. She had understood what was happening; he could feel her adding another row of bricks at the bottom, next to the already high wall. She was backing it up. Clever girl; she'd caught on quicker than he'd thought.

_There... see you breach that, Xavier. _Amanda grinned to herself and let her imagined self fade away as she slowly opened her eyes. "Try me," she mumbled to Xavier. _I'd like to see you get past this._

Xavier nodded at her, relaxing his thoughts and finding the right path into her mind. Just before he came to the end of the path, he encountered a sturdy brick wall, red-brown and imposing. He pushed against it gently; but the wall held fast. He gave another small push. Nothing. He smiled to himself.

Her eyes closed once more, Amanda stood behind her wall and concentrated on keeping it there, strong. She could feel Xavier pushing from the other side, could feel his thoughts almost penetrating her barrier. _So far, so good. I doubt he's using full strength, but this **is** my first time, after all..._

"Very good."

Xavier's voice washed over her, and Amanda left the wall; opening her eyes, she grinned brightly at the professor. "How'd I do?"

"Quite well," he nodded at her approvingly. "For your first time, it was quite impressive. I want you to work on this for now: concentrate on building walls and keeping them up. You have to always be on guard; a shield like that can fall when you're least expecting it."

Amanda nodded. "Keep my wall up, keep my guard. Got it. How do I know if I'm doing it right? I mean... how will I know if I'm really blocking someone out of my mind, when I can't know if they're trying? No, what I mean is –" she put a hand to her head. "Ai, I'm confused."

Xavier chuckled. "Not surprising. Telepathy is complicated business, Amanda, and not to be taken lightly. Your question, however, is a fine one – you cannot know if you are truly blocking other telepaths from you mind unless you know they are trying and can see they are not succeeding. How about this – keep your barrier up, and I shall try and read your mind sometime in the coming days."

"Ah, trying to catch me off my guard, huh? Okay, fair enough." Amanda grinned to herself; this would be like a game.

"Call it a game now if you like, but erecting a barrier is the first thing you need to learn," said Xavier. Amanda gave him a sour look.

"I wasn't on my guard?"

"Oh, you were," Xavier assured her. "But your barrier is still quite weak, considering the force I just used." He received another blank look. "What I mean is: before, when we tried for the first time, I probed your mind gently, to see if you were ready. With time, as you learn to increase the power behind your shields, I shall test you more thoroughly, to see if they can withstand a strong telepathic attach."

"I ... see."

"How goes the party planning?"

_On to a completely different subject, huh? Okay then._ "Pretty well. Kitty and Mel and I picked out the decorations yesterday. The kids are hanging them up just now. Could you, ah, remind me where the gym is?"

* * *


	11. Resurrection: part I: Ice

**Authoress's notes:** heh. Sorry for lateness. I had a major Mathematics exam on Thursday and I spent over a week preparing. So sorry.

This chapter has a tiny surprise -- oh, hell, who am I kidding? We all know it's going to happen. Buuuuuuuuut... I've decided to do it a different way. Yeah, I know, all you comics-fanatic can sue me. I won't mind. :::grins::: Oh and please don't get all nitpicky about the medical facts or whatever... I don't have time to properly research stuff like that O.o

**Reviewers' Response:**

**chelsey-pudge**** – **really? You're not pulling my leg? You actually LIKE the training sessions? YAY!! :::hugs you::: I thought it was ... pathetic. I'd filled 4 pages with **one** telepathy lesson. Heh. But at least you liked it! So I'm happy :D

**the**** littlest weasley – **yay, someone more thinks I've gotten the characters IC! Sorry Bobby and Rogue don't have much fic time; I'm not such a big fan of them. But they'll be at the Halloween party... that's a promise :) Welcome to VR, btw.

**Pyro Lady – **glad you liked.

**xImmortalx**** – **you do know that you can just add me to your Author Alerts and you'll get an alert whenever I review, don't you?

* * *

**Chapter 11: Resurrection **

**Part I: Ice**

John Allerdyce shivered slightly and then frowned at himself, not wanting to display any signs of weakness in front of Magneto and Mystique. He pulled his coat tighter around himself and looked grimly out the jet's window. How the Brotherhood had managed to acquire a jet was beyond him; all he knew was that Magneto and Mystique had done it somehow and they now took great care in maneuvering it down onto the ground next to the frozen lake.

He shivered again; this time not from the cold but from the memories of this place from three years ago. He still didn't know exactly what had happened; all he knew was that barely minuets after he had left the X-Men's Blackbird he had crumpled to the snow in exquisite pain. A while after that, Magneto and Mystique had picked him up, and he had joined their Brotherhood. The Brotherhood of Mutants. That was his family now. Magneto was far from a father-figure, true, but at least with them there was no feeling of pity from others. No false protection or lies about peace between mutants and humans...

_Bullshit,_ though Pyro. _Fuck it, Xavier didn't know what he was talking about. The war's coming, and with Xavier's attitude, we aren't going to have much of a hope against the rest of the world_... He smiled to himself. He was on the right side of the war. His smile melted quickly as the jet lowered. This was his chance to prove himself to Magneto, he knew it. Nothing had been said, and he still knew nothing whatsoever about what he was to do, but he was determined to do it right.

As if on cue, the jet landed silently on the snow, and Magneto turned to him. "Come with me, Pyro. There is something here with which I requite your help."

Pyro followed Magneto across the snow, Mystique walking behind them. They reached the frozen lake, where nearby, under several hundred feet of solid ice and rock, there lay an abandoned old military base. Pyro shivered inwardly again, wondering what Magneto 'needed his help' with.

"I have a job for you, Pyro," said Magneto softly. Pyro looked at the man's face, the expression of which was carefully blank. "Under all this ice, there is a young woman buried in the snow. I believe she is still alive."

"You mean – Jean?" said Pyro, his eyes wide.

"Yes, Jean Grey," said Magneto, smiling slightly. "I believe her body to have been frozen in the flood... her mind, however... her mind may have wandered. Being frozen, he body might have survived." He gave the boy – young man – before him a sharp look. "We need to get her out of this ice."

"You mean –?" Pyro looked at his hands, feeling the heat already building there at his thoughts of using his gift again. Having ... evolved, as Magneto had termed it, Pyro had progressed in his abilities. He now was able to completely create fire, instead of just manipulating an existing flame. Tiny tongues of fire danced at his fingertips. "Where?" he asked Magneto, determined to prove his worth.

Magneto smiled. "Around this area," he gestured at the ice around them. "I believe she is under the ice, somewhere in this thirty-feet-radius. Once you go deeper, we'll be able to check for sure."

"Okay then." Pyro smiled, and a flame flickered to life in his hand. Magneto and Mystique backed away, clearing the aforementioned thirty-feet-radius and leaving Pyro to his task. Pyro pushed their images out of his hind, focusing completely on the task at hand. The flame in his hand intensified. With a burst of fire, he directed it at the ice in front of him.

The ice began to melt instantly, creating pools of cold, rapidly-warming water. Pyro felt a thrill or excitement, born of finally letting his gift escalate to full use. He pushed harder, melting ice faster and faster.

**-X-**

"Do you think this'll work, Eric?" Mystique said as she and Magneto set up camp. They would be here for a good few days, after all.

"I believe so, yes," said Magneto, calmly guiding the metal rods though the loops of their tents and pitching them on a patch of ice-free earth. "Pyro will do his best. He is anxious ... he wants to prove himself. I could see it in his eyes. And even if he does not succeed in melting the ice enough to find the girl, ordinary flame-throwers are always an option."

"All right then," said Mystique. "I'm going to gather some firewood. We need a fire going; it'll get much colder by nightfall.

Magneto nodded, and set about lowering a number of heavy metal crates from the jet, unloading provisions for the next few days.

**-X-**

Back on the frozen lake, Pyro moved into the large hole he had melted in the ice, landing with a slight splash as his boots hit the puddle-riddled ice floor. He stood there for a moment, regaining his breath. He had been flaming for nearly an hour now, and he was getting tired. His fire had been steadily thinning, but he promised himself he wouldn't stop until it diminished completely. He felt someone observing him from the rim of the hole.

Magneto dropped a heavy scarf into Pyro's arms. "The lower you go, the colder it will get, Pyro."

"Thanks," Pyro wrapped the woolen scarf around his neck. He turned away from Magneto, back to his task. He concentrated on the feeling of heat in his heart, on the comforting warmth of the flame that was his soul. The flames shot out from his hands with renewed vigor. Up behind him, Magneto smiled. Pyro was dedicated to his task. He returned to the camp, where Mystique had already gathered enough wood and was arranging the sticks and logs inside a circle of stones. By the time he reached the tents, she was rummaging through bags and crates, a frown on her face.

"Whatever is the matter, my dear?" he said.

Mystique lifted her face to him, still frowning. "I seem to have misplaced the matches," she said.

Magneto chuckled. "You for get with whom we travel," he said. "I shall call Pyro."

"Huh?" came Pyro's voice from just behind them. Mystique raised an eyebrow at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be melting ice?" she said coldly.

Pyro shrugged. "Nature called. When you're surrounded by ice and water, a full bladder's a bit hard to ignore."

"I see," she said, though the icy tone had not had not left her voice. "Well, be of some use and light this," she pointed at the pile of wood.

Pyro raised an eyebrow at her this time, and wordlessly pointed a finger at the wood. The flames enveloped it, and after a few moments Pyro stopped. The wood had caught fire rather reluctantly, being wet, but the heat of Pyro's flames seemed to have dried it enough. Pyro grinned.

"Good," said Mystique, turning back to the metal crates. "Now get back to melting that ice."

Pyro frowned. "Not until I've gone to the bathroom," he said, walking into the trees.Mystique rolled her eyes. "Boys."

**-X-**

Pyro stopped, panting, and sat down on a ledge of ice producing from the wall. He had left half-a-dozen such ledges so far, up the walls of the steadily deepening hole, so that he wouldn't get stuck inside. He felt rather suffocated in the pit of ice ... perhaps he was claustrophobic?

He shook his head. Never mind. He knew there was still plenty of ice to melt, and he wasn't such a fan of it. He sighed and decided that, to entertain himself for a while, he would carve stairs, instead of the ledges he had made so far.

He pointed deftly. A thin tongue of concentrated fire shot out, carving out blocks of ice. He heard an exasperated chuckle from behind him, and looked up to see Mystique, looking amused. She stepped down, using the ice-steps he had just finished carving.

"Nice touch," she said looking around at the hole he had melted so far. "Do you plan on making furniture as well?"

"No, I don't think so," Pyro replied lightly. "I just wanted to get out of this hole easier."

"Well, I'll admit it's original," she said. Then she handed him a steaming thermos full of coffee. "Drink up; we can't have you freezing solid down here."

"Thanks, I guess." Pyro took a sip of the hot drink. "How far under do you think she is?"

Mystique gave him a sharp look. "Quite deep. You'll have to work very hard to uncover her."

Pyro looked up as a flake of snow landed on his shoulder. "I think we'd better cover the hole while it's snowing ... I don't want to start all over tomorrow."

Mystique nodded. "We've unpacked a roll of canvas; I brought it so we can stretch it over the opening."

"Good," Pyro nodded. "Let's do that now, it's already starting to snow hard. If we cover the opening then maybe I can keep working a bit more –"

"No." Mystique's tone was final. "Magneto sent me to get you; he doesn't want you tiring yourself out today. You need to keep your strength and your fire for the next few days."

"Um. Okay. Let's get that canvas, then." He climbed the ice-staircase. On the ground next to the rim of the hole was a large roll of canvas. He grabbed one end and heaved it over the hole. With Mystique's help, he secured it in place with large iron pegs, thrusting them into the ice.

Mystique stood up when they finished and beckoned to Pyro. "We've erected the tents and built up a fire."

"All right, I'm coming."

They reached camp, where Magneto was levitating three cups of soup over the fire. "Ah, there you two are. How goes the melting?"

"He's doing quite well," Mystique said, surprising Pyro slightly.

"Good," said Magneto, and guided two tin cups of the soup to them. Pyro took a sip of the steaming stew, feeling it warm him up almost instantly. It was canned soup – not gourmet, but hot. He looked around. He wasn't surprised to see three tents; Magneto and Mystique liked their solitude. They might discuss their plans together, but they would not spend the night in the same tent... He took another sip of soup, wondering if he dared to ask Magneto about his plans.

"So," he ventured, "what're we doing with Jean when we find her?" Pyro almost regretted opening his mouth as Magneto fixed him with a keen gaze.

"We are going to inform her of recent events," he said simply.

"Um. Okay..." Pyro took another sip of soup. "What time is it?" he asked suddenly.

"It's late enough," replied Magneto. "Go get some rest. We will wake you up tomorrow."

"All right." Pyro retreated to his tent, finding it small but equipped with a good sleeping-bag, separated from the cold earth by a roll of canvas, similar to the one he and Mystique had covered the hole with. His bag from the jet was there as well. He grinned, taking out his CD-player, sliding a disc in and putting the headphones over his ears. He felt better with the music pounding loudly in his ears. He slid into the sleeping-bag and lay down, tapping a finger on the CD-player in time to the bass beat.

**-X-**

The next few days passed much like the first. Pyro worked his ass off, in his opinion, melting the snow which had gathered on the canvas during the night with a few short, controlled bursts of flame each morning. Then he would pry it off and climb into the pit of ice, which was steadily getting larger.

Each time Mystique would bring him a meal or call him up for a round of canned soup. The fire at camp was kept burning throughout the day; Mystique saw to that. She would go out in the morning and return every few hours with a stock of good wood. Other than that, she took to simply walking in the frozen forest, both enjoying the silence and checking the territory.

Magneto sat in his tent most of the time, thinking and planning. Pyro often wondered what was going though the elderly man's mind, though he knew there was no use asking him. So he left his tent each morning and headed towards the icy hole. He climbed into it and started up his fireball. Holding out his hands, he controlled it cleanly, enlarging it and moving it across the walls of ice. Water streamed down; Pyro quickly directed the ball of flame to the floor, effectively vaporizing any hint of water. Like this he worked: quickly and silently; and every day the hole got deeper.

On the fourth day, Magneto came down into the hole with some unknown device. He walked in a circle around the bottom of the pit, a quiet beeping emanating from the device. At one point in the lap, it emitted a louder, more urgent beep. Magneto smiled.

"That is the direction you must go, Pyro," he said, pointing at the wall of ice directly in front of him. "Start a tunnel here. Be sure to go carefully; we can't have you buried if the ice should cave in."

"Right." Pyro nodded. As Magneto climbed out, Pyro held up his hand. A fireball burst into life. Holding it in the air between his hands, he let it grow and expand, then pushed it at the ice in front of him. It began to melt instantly, forming a niche. Slowly, Pyro let one hand drop. Controlling the large fireball with his right hand, he slowly formed another, smaller one with his left. Directing that smaller one at the floor, efficiently vaporizing the water that had streamed down, he let his subconscious take over it. The small ball of flame zoomed around the floor of the ice hole, turning any hints of water into steam. All the while the larger fireball carved an ever-growing hole into the wall.

After working that way for quite a few hours, Pyro stepped back out of what was steadily becoming a tunnel in the ice. He was just about to work out how to widen it a bit when Mystique came down the steps, carrying his usual thermos of coffee. He took it with a nod of thanks. She set something on the floor: a long wire, with small electric lamps hanging from it every few feet.

"Once you get far enough that it gets dark, get these lamps in. Use these:" she handed him a box of pegs, "to hold them up on the ceiling. Be careful. The last thing we need is for you to bury yourself in there."

"Thanks so much for caring," he half-grinned at her. She rolled her eyes and stepped out of the hole.

Pyro sighed, drinking deeply from his thermos. A rush of warmth and caffeine filled his stomach, and with the thermos still in one hand and a newly-conjured fireball in the other, he moved it over the edges of the tunnel, melting, widening the entrance. Heeding Mystique's instructions, he set up the lamps as soon as he was far enough inside the ice. The cold blue lights gave it an eerie look, but Pyro shook that off and continued his work. The sooner he found something, the sooner he got out of this pit of ice.

Exactly one week after he had first started, Pyro began to think the ice was changing colour. He shook his head and looked again. There seemed to be something darker in the ice, a few feet deeper. Carefully, he melted the ice around it, until a pale blue hand was exposed. Pyro stared at if for a moment, then raced back through the tunnel. Holding his hands above his head, he pushed out a bolt of fire. Within seconds, a forty-foot-high pillar of flame could be seen, even from a great distance.

Back at the camp, Magneto and Mystique both put down whatever they were doing and headed out onto the ice. The pillar of fire disappeared as they reached the hole and proceeded to climb down into it. Pyro looked up at them and said, "I think I've found her."

* * *

**Authoress's note: **the Halloween party IS coming up shortly. I promise :) 


	12. Resurrection: part II: Unfreeze

**Authoress's note**: yay, I didn't get stoned to death for my twist on Phoenix! :::dances::: People actually _liked_ it! :::walks around handing Wolverine-shaped cookies::: So, here's part two of _Resurrection_. Enjoy!!

**Reviewers' Response:**

**Pyro Lady – **hehe. Did I get him IC?

**chelsey-pudge**** – **you'll see what they want her for right here... go read!

**the**** littlest weasley – **you like the twist. YAY! Updating.

**xImmortalx**** – **Oh, I didn't realize you're new. Welcome to Fanfiction . Net. Don't worry about it; I was registered for almost a year before I actually figured it out and started posting. Glad you liked my idea :)

* * *

**Chapter 12: Resurrection:**

**Part II: Unfreeze.**

_From last time:_

_Back at the camp, Magneto and Mystique both put down whatever they were doing and headed out onto the ice. The pillar of fire disappeared as they reached the hole and proceeded to climb down into it. Pyro looked up at them and said, "I think I've found her."_

* * *

"Let's see," said Magneto, stepping down into the icy pit and walking into the tunnel. He studied the hand carefully, then peered into the ice, looking for the figure's face. "Melt some more of the ice around her," he told Pyro. "Be very careful. We do not want to harm her." 

Pyro frowned. _I know that,_ he thought to himself, but a look from Mystique reminded him that his task was not yet finished. He'd found her; he still had to get her out. Moving in front of Magneto, he concentrated on his flame. Throwing one hand out, he released a thin beam of concentrated fire, delicately cutting out the frozen form, still in a cube of ice. He nearly laughed at the cartoonish thought; then he remembered Magneto and Mystique were still watching him. He carefully brought out the packed ice and looked at it for a moment, pondering how to go about this. He settled for forming a flat shield-like tongue of fire and moving it slowly across the surface of the ice, melting it as carefully as he could. He made sure to vaporize the water that came to their feet, keeping it from freezing their feet in place.

After nearly an hour of melting the ice-cube – neither Magneto or Mystique rushed him; they knew he was going about it subtly, and admired it – the last of the ice was gone, save for a thin frost-like layer still on the standing figure, whose limbs were gradually softening and bending. Pyro could see quite clearly now that it was indeed Jean, his old teacher. It had been three years since he'd last seen her, and while he knew he had changed much, grown and evolved, she looked to be exactly the same. The same red-orange hair that reached her chin, those same warm brown eyes, now frozen. Even the necklace and bracelet Scott had given her a year before that were still there, frozen to her flesh.

"Well done, Pyro. Come."

Pyro looked away from Jean, at Magneto. Mystique looped her arms around Jean's figure and started to haul her out of the tunnel and up the stairs. Pyro reached out to help, half expecting Mystique to slap him away; to his surprise, she let him help. Together, they carried Jean out of the hole and to the camp, where Magneto restocked the fire and Pyro built it up with intense flames, while Mystique wrapped Jean in a blanket and set her close to the fire. The last layer of frost had melted away, and Jean's limbs started to warm and relax. Soon her eyes fell closed, and she lapsed into unconsciousness.

**-X-**

Eleven hours later, Jean Grey woke up, wrapped in a somewhat wet blanket but close to a warm fire. More than a bit disoriented, she looked around. Where was she? Some kind of camp, it seemed. There were three tents on the ground around her and the fire; a large number of metal crates stood behind the tents, and behind them, she thought she could see a silvery jet.

"Jean?"

She twisted around, and came face-to-face with a young man, who was halfway out of his tent. "You – you're awake!"

"Yes, I'm awake," she said slowly, her voice hoarse. It hadn't been used in three years after all. But she did not know that.

"Magneto, Mystique!" the man yelled. Jean frowned. Who was he? Who were these people he had called, Magneto and Mystique?

Said two people each came out of their tents: an elderly man dressed in black trousers and a long fur-lined coat, and a woman, completely naked but covered in bright blue scales. She narrowed her eyes. Mutants.

Wait.

How had she known they were mutants? What was going on?

"Good morning, Miss Grey," said the elderly man. "My name is Eric Lensherr. I am otherwise known as Magneto. How are you feeling?"

"Damp," she replied, and tried to stand up. Her body was still weak, though, and she wobbled unsteadily. The young man helped her stand straight and untangle herself from the damp blankets.

"Sorry about that," he apologized – even though he hadn't been the one to wrap her in the blankets; that had been Mystique.

"Well, sit by the fire, warm up," said Magneto. "This is Mystique, and this is John Allerdyce, who is also known as Pyro." He gestured at each in turn. Then he sat down on a crate and looked her over. "Do you remember anything?"

"No," she replied, her face blank. "Where are we?"

"We are somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, near an old abandoned military base, called Alkali Lake. Does that sound familiar?"

"Vaguely. Thank you," she said as Mystique handed her a cup of coffee. "What did you say my name is?"

"Your name is Jean Grey," he said. "Drink up, get warm."

"Jean Grey," she tried it out, "that sounds right enough." She took a sip of the hot brew. "So who are you all?"

"I have already told you our names," Magneto replied.

"A name doesn't tell you much about a person when you first meet them," she retorted.

He chuckled. "True. Very well, I shall tell you. We are mutants."

"Mm, I knew that, somehow." Her brow furrowed suddenly. "Am – am I a mutant, too?"

"Yes, you are. You possess telepathic and telekinetic gifts. Very powerful ones."

"How do you know this?"

"I have known you for a long time, my dear Jean. You are a part of a group I am leading, a mutant group called the Brotherhood of Mutants."

Pyro's head snapped up. Magneto was lying to her – he wanted her on their side. He hesitated; he didn't like to lie. But he did not like to meddle in Magneto's plans either. So he let them be, but listened carefully so that he would know what Jean was being told and not say something that would seem suspicious to her.

"The Brotherhood of Mutants?" Jean said. "That sounds familiar too."

"Well, it would," said Magneto smoothly. "You have been a strong member of the Brotherhood for a long time. You are a smart young woman, Jean, and should be proud to be with us."

"Mm. You said I was a telepath?"

"And a telekinetic."

"Right... And what am I doing here?"

"We had an accident here, around a year ago. You saved us, by stopping a very strong flood that came our way. But you were caught in the flood, and we had no choice but to leave and come back later, when we could get you out."

"Get me out?"

"You were frozen in the ice of the lake. Pyro got you out."

Jean turned to Pyro with a hesitant smile. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he said uneasily.

"So..." Jean turned back to Magneto, "what do I do now?"

"You come with us," he replied. "We will get you some clothes, and take you back to the island."

"Island?" she raised and eyebrow.

"We found an old base on an island and have set up our headquarters there."

"I see... And what exactly do you – the Brotherhood – do?"

"We are mutants, but we are not the only group. There is another, a group of mutants who call themselves The X-Men."

Jean frowned. "That sounds familiar too."

"We are not on very good terms with them. They run a school, a school for training mutants, and they constantly meddle in our plans, simply to attack us in public and cause panic between the normal humans. They have encouraged a new law to be passed: the Mutant Registration Law. If this law is passed, mutants everywhere will be hunted and arrested, simply for being different."

"But that's awful!" Jean cried.

"Yes, it is," Magneto said, smooth as silk. "We want to put a stop to it."

"Well, I'm helping," Jean said firmly.

Magneto smiled. Pyro's eyes narrowed. So that was Magneto's plan. Jean had fallen right into place.

**-X-**

Jean was given her own tent, and provided with clothes and fed until she was strong enough to stand up alone. Magneto would talk to her for long times, 'filling her in' as he put it, telling her about the X-Men and their school, describing each of its members as best as he could and assuring her that they would all try to get her on their side, as they had been since Magneto had set up the Brotherhood.

Jean took all this in willingly, believing every word Magneto uttered. She developed somewhat of a hatred for the X-Men, though she did not remember them at all. She talked to Pyro, trying to learn how she had used her powers before the flood. Pyro, knowing nothing whatsoever of telepathy or telekinesis, simply told her she needed to try and get the feel of her powers, and try and harness them.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"Well, you know what your powers are, right?" he said.

"Yes, I know I'm telepathic and telekinetic."

"Well, you know how telepathy and telekinesis work, don't you? Try and figure it out. Understand how you can control your powers, how you can control objects and make them move, for example. Here, try with this," he put down his cup of soup. "Make the cup move."

Jean stared at the cup. Something stirred in her mind. She knew how to do this. _Move,_ she said to the cup. And it moved.

"Cool. See, you can do it," he said as she set the cup down and said, "Well, what about the telepathy?"

"I dunno... don't think I can help you there. 'Fraid you'll have to work that one out yourself."

She sighed. "Well, thanks."

**-X-**

The flight to the island was shorter for Pyro now that he had someone to talk to. Jean asked him about his pyretic powers and asked him to demonstrate his flame-throwing. He gladly showed off, even though he knew Magneto would scold him for using his fire inside the jet.

When they landed, Mystique led Jean to one of the rooms in the base, where she told her she could settle in, but be ready to go whenever they called her. After that Pyro took her to meet the other mutants on the island.

"This is Loreyn," he said, pointing at a woman younger than Jean, around twenty-five years old, who had black hair and, quite alarmingly, black eyes as well. She wore black leather, which creaked slightly when she moved but looked comfortable enough. "She goes by the codename Misery; she prefers to be called that."

"Misery?"

"She has telepathic powers, but she connects to a person's pain. Ergo, Misery. Why don't you ask her about the telepathy? I'm sure she could help. Try and catch her in a good mood, though; she can get a bit cranky at times." Next Pyro pointed out a younger man, who also wore black, but not necessarily leather. His hair was a dirty-blond colour, and pulled back into a ponytail. "That's Matt. A.k.a. Shadowcaster."

"What's his gift?" Jean asked.

"Well. He, um, casts shadows, I suppose you could say. Show her, Shadow."

Matt promptly cupped his hands; within seconds, a dark cloud-like shadow had formed in his hands and was running down to the stone floor like thick steam. Jean looked at him with wide eyes. Matt grinned at her and spread his shadows further, until they enveloped him completely. When the shadows dissolved, he was gone.

"How does he do that?" she asked Pyro, who shrugged.

"Even he's not sure. He just kind of melts into his shadow. He's probably still somewhere around us; there are plenty of places you could find shadows here. Oh, this is Kelly."

Kelly was around Pyro's age, a pretty blue-eyed blonde, with bluish tinges to her short hair. "Kelly Telsia," she said, shaking Jean's hand.

"Nice to meet you. What are your powers?"

Kelly smiled, and then she seemed to ... melt. Jean's eyes widened again.

Pyro said, "She's a water mutant. We call her Aqua," he shrugged. "She just kind of melts whenever she feels like it, and she can create floods. Ah, and here are the twins."

Jean turned to see two men around Pyro's age coming towards them. They were unmistakably twin brothers: both had dark hair and pale blue eyes.

"These are Brian and Rick. Don't ask me who's who; I still don't know."

The twin with the longer hair rolled his eyes. "I'm Brian," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Remember by the hair, mine's longer."

Pyro grinned sheepishly. "Oh. Yeah. Right."

"What are your powers?" Jean asked them.

"He's Copycat," said Rick, the one with the shorter hair. "Literally. He copies other mutants' powers."

"And he's Amp," said Brian. "He amplifies other mutants' powers."

"I see." Jean took a good look at the pair of them, so she could see which was which and remember. "Okay, long hair is Brian, short hair is Rick. Who's the older?"

"I am," said Rick.

"And he never lets me forget it," said Brian.

**-X-**

"So, everybody has codenames, huh?"

Kelly nodded. "They come with the powers. You know, John's Pyro, and Matt is Shadowcaster..."

"Yes, I see."

"What about you?"

"Me? Oh." Jean frowned. "I suppose I should also think of something, yes..."

"How about... Phoenix?"

Jean cocked her head to the side. "Phoenix?"

"Yeah – you know, they burst into flame when they die –"

"– and are reborn from the ashes," finished Jean. "Right!"

"And, well, you were pretty dead back in that lake. And fire did bring you back to life, in a way."

"Yes, you're right," said Jean. "Phoenix," she tried it out. It seemed to fit... "All right. I am Phoenix."

* * *

**IMPORTANT AUTHORESS'S NOTE**: yeah, so, as you've all figured out already, I've taken a different approach to the idea of Phoenix than the comics. Instead of being some alien Phoenix Force, I've had her (her, it... whatever) simply come out as an alter-ego of Jean's. She's lost her memory... Magneto took advantage of that ... and Kelly's suggestion of the codename 'Phoenix' was purely incidental. ;D 

(Review!!!)


	13. The Halloween Party: part I: Party!

**Authoress's notes:** well, here we are at the long-awaited chapter, finally the party. It came out much longer than I expected; it's in two parts, but even with that it's a bit long. More for you, huh? :P Here you go.

**Reviewers' Response:**

**chelsey-pudge**** - **:::giggles::: you know, I like the way you review. Not always a long and lengthy review, mostly short and to the point – but most of the time the point is that you like my fic, so, how could I complain?? :::hugs you:::

**the**** littlest weasley – **heeeeeeeere it is! Enjoy!

**Pyro Lady – **hmmm. More believable. Agrees with the movie. Yay! In answer to your question: yes, the other members of the Brotherhood are my own OCs. I've stated some of them in the first disclaimer. As for your other question ... so far, no. No-one for Pyro. He doesn't really get out much, y'see? He is rather misunderstood, I know... I still don't like him much. I think he's a jackass for leaving the X-Men and joining the Brotherhood.

**I Stole Brad Pitt – **heh, I like this name! Anyway, don't you worry your pretty name over it. He's right here! :::points down::: go read!

**xImmortalx**** – **meh, well. It takes time to grasp the mysterious ways of the computers. Sure took me long enough – does 2 years tell you anything? XD Anyway, yeah, that'll make for an interesting meeting...

**flapjack101 – **hey, welcome to VR! Hope you've managed to read chapters 9, 10, 11 and 12, cos here's chapter 13, and I hope you like it!!

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Halloween Party:**

**Part I: Party!**

The morning of October 31st found Amanda with the children of the Institute, decorating and laughing. They had cheered loudly during breakfast at Professor Xavier's announcement of giving them the day off of school, so that they could spend the day decorating the place and adding any finishing touches to their costumes, should they need any more time. The adults, meanwhile, prepared the gym.

Amanda dropped by at noon to help, chatting with Storm and Rogue. They carved pumpkins and placed them in the corners of the room, hung streamers of black and orange crêpe paper on the walls, and cobwebs from the top corners of the room. Storm came down from the ceiling with a grin on her face; it had been long since she'd enjoyed flying and doing something like decorating. Meanwhile, Rogue arranged the music and prices with the DJ. Bobby and Scott and Kurt set out the tables for food and drinks.

By the time five-thirty rolled around, Amanda was quite exhausted. She flopped back on her bed as soon as she'd closed the door behind her, only to have Kurt materialize in a whiff of blue smoke. "Guten Abend, Liebling."

Amanda groaned. "Where have you been for the past hour?" she said; for Kurt had disappeared over an hour ago, just before the whole DJ system collapsed and they could have used his help.

"I was arranging my costume," he replied.

Amanda rolled over on the bed and made room for him to set next to her. "So you've finally found yourself something, huh?"

Kurt nodded. "I admit, it's quite late to 'hit the stores' as you might call it, so I had to make do with what I could find here."

"What are you coming as?"

"Ach, I'm not telling you," said Kurt, grinning evilly. "I want it to be a surprise."

"A-ha," said Amanda, eyebrows raised. "Okay then." She stood up. "Now, I'm afraid you're going to have to skedaddle; I need a shower, and the party starts at seven. Us girls need time to prepare for something like this. Go on, shoo!"

Kurt smiled at her and teleported away. Amanda gathered a few items of clothing and her shower essentials and stepped into the bathroom, wondering about the blue mutant's costume.

**-X-**

Amanda grinned at herself in the mirror of the bathroom as she secured Mel's white-and-blue-checked halter top in place. She straightened her skirt and donned her old cowboy boots, placing Mel's also borrowed hat on her head.

She headed out the door, fiddling with her navel-ring -- she still didn't know what had possessed her to get it, but she was already used to it -- and switched the light off via telekinesis with a smile. This was even more fun than she'd thought. A low whistle escaped her lips as she walked down to the gym; the hallways were decorated in orange and black – bright streamers hung on the walls, black ribbons adorned the large staircase, and fake cobwebs hung from the ceiling. A number of pumpkins had been placed on the steps of the staircase, the candles inside their evilly-smiling-carved faces casting eerie glows across the large room.

She stepped into the gym and felt her jaw drop slightly. Despite the fact that she'd been among the ones who had decorated it themselves – she'd had a blast using her telekinesis to hold up streamers on the walls while Bobby would climb a ladder and pin them in place – seeing it darkened, with the DJ's yellow and orange lights flickering on the walls and the floor, mingling with candle-lights issuing from the pumpkins ... that was something else. The streamers hanging form the ceiling swung back and forth lazily in an ominous wind, and the pearly-white fog rolled on the floor (courtesy of Storm).

Most of the adults were already there; Amanda recognized Bobby, dressed in shades of green and wearing a green hat with a feather sticking up in it. Rogue stood next to him, in a dark-blue 16th-century-style dress.

"Robin Hood and Lady Marian," she said, eyeing them approvingly. "Nice."

"Thanks," Rogue smiled. "It was his idea."

"No it wasn't!" said Bobby, looking around quickly.

"Even though he's completely denying it," added Rogue, her smile widening. "Have you seen Scott?"

"No," replied Amanda, looking around. "Where is he?"

"Over there," said Rogue, pointing at a figure standing near the doors.

Amanda tilted her head to the left. "What on earth is he dressed as?"

Bobby snickered. "Why don't you go ask him yourself?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow at him. "I'll do just that, thank you." She said, and walked up to Scott. "Scott? Is that you? Scott, what on earth are you dressed as?"

Scott turned around so she could see his costume properly. Wide black pants, black boots, a white shirt with extremely wide sleeves, and a wide belt with a sword at his waist. A large black hat sat on his head, and Amanda half-expected to see a parrot perched on his shoulder.

"Well... you make one hell of a pirate, Shades."

Scott winced at the nickname. "Would you stop calling me that?" he said with a pained expression on his face.

"Aye aye, captain."

Scott grinned at the use of pirate slang. "Now ye've got it," he drawled. "Now, get ye to the dancefloor, lassie."

"Aye aye, Cappie!" she said again. She turned around to see Kitty and Melavina come up to the gym's doors, dragging a third, shy-looking girl between them.

"C'mon, Terry," Kitty was saying, "how do you expect to be friends with anybody if you haven't ever met anyone yet?"

The girl, Terry, gave a nervous little laugh. By then the three of them had entered the gym and were heading towards her. She smiled to herself. This girl was obviously new to the Institute; she looked downright intimidated, flanked by Kitty and Melavina. She decided to help her out a bit.

"Hi Mel, Kitty," she said as they reached her. "Let's see what you've got there. Terry, right?"

The girl nodded. She was dressed as a princess, in a shimmering blue dress with a small golden crown on her head. Her light-brown hair was long and curly, and her green eyes still looked frightened.

Amanda untangled her from Kitty and Mel, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Welcome to Mutant High, if you haven't been told so yet."

Terry gave a small laugh. "Yeah, it seems to be the school's most popular nickname."

"What's your mutation?"

"Um..." Terry looked at a loss. Mel stepped in.

"She's what you'd call an elemental," she said. "She can conjure up fireballs and waterfalls and ... and whatnot."

Amanda raised an eyebrow at the Playboy Bunny. "Define 'whatnot'."

"'Whatnot,' meaning she doesn't really have control over her powers yet," said Kitty. Terry nodded.

"Well then," said Amanda. "Don't think about that just now." She gestured around them, at the pumpkins lining the walls and at the fog rolling at their ankles. "We're at a party. We're here to have fun, take a load off. Enjoy it!"

Terry gave a small smile. "I suppose so."

"Ah, Terry, I see you've met Amanda," said a new voice behind them, and the group turned to see Professor Xavier in his wheelchair, wearing what seemed to be an old-fashioned tuxedo and a red cloak. "Outgoing, isn't she?"

Mel stared at him. "Professor Xavier? Is that you?"

"What –?" said Kitty.

"Dracula!" said Amanda. "Nice. Very nice, Professor."

"Thank you, Amanda," said Xavier. "I must admit, it's been quite a while since I've last worn a costume."

"Well, then it's time you let go and had some fun," she said, grinning. "And so do you, Terry. You may be the new kid, but I've only been here a month and I know the whole population of this place by name!"

Kitty placed a hand on Terry's shoulder. "Come on, Terry, snap out of the shock." She led her to the snack tables, handing her a cup of punch.

"I think you've overwhelmed her a bit," said Xavier.

Amanda grinned. "I suppose I can seem a bit intimidating at first... it's not my fault I'm outgoing."

**-X-**

"Kurt Wagner, is that you?"

"The one and only, Liebchen," said Kurt, turning around to face Amanda. He was wearing what seemed to be a white bed-sheet, draped around his body toga-like and fixed at the shoulder with a glittering gold brooch. A crown of gold-sprayed laurel leaves surrounded his head.

"Well, if it isn't Julius Caesar," she said, grinning. "Nice. Have you seen Scott?"

Kurt nodded. "I'd say he makes quite a pirate."

"Yeah, he does. And you make one hell of a Roman Emperor."

"Dankeschon," Kurt smiled and bowed. "I had to make do with what I found."

"Where'd you get the laurel?"

"There's plenty of it in the gardens," said Kurt. "It's part of a wonderful spice garden behind the main building. Have you not explored the outdoors yet?"

Amanda shook her head. "Not thoroughly, no. Would you show me around sometime?"

Kurt smiled at her. "Of course," he said, "I shall show you the school grounds gladly. I will show you all my favorite spots."

"Good then, I have another tour scheduled," Amanda grinned at him.

"Regular tour guide, isn't he?"

Kurt and Amanda turned around to see Logan, wearing his normal clothes and a pair of sunglasses. Amanda raised an eyebrow at him. "And you are...?" she said, gesturing at his clothes.

Logan tapped the sunglasses. "I'm Cyclops; can't you tell?" he said, an idiotic grin playing across his face.

Amanda laughed. "That's low, Logan ... it suits you."

Logan grinned at her. "Yup, just low enough for me."

**-X-**

The party went on quite enjoyably, for everybody. Bobby and Rogue got a few slow dances, Kitty and Mel somehow managed to get Terry to dance, and Kurt spun Amanda around, as well as Storm, Rogue, Kitty, Mel, Jubilee, and even Terry. It seemed that no female on the dancefloor could resist his charm. He revisited Amanda frequently, spinning her around or dancing regularly; either way, she was having the time of her life.

Kurt intrigued her: she did not know much of his past – and she still didn't know about the tattoos! She made a mental note to ask him sometime in the near future. She wanted to know his life story, and to share hers with him. Then a slow song came on, the Titanic Theme by Celine Dion. Kurt took her hand.

"Dance with me, Liebe" he said quietly.

Amanda blushed slightly and squeezed his hand, moving to the dancefloor with him. He put his arms at her waist while she put hers around his neck. They spun slowly around, moving lazily, oblivious to the whispers and giggles from the students. Even Xavier smiled, glad everyone was having a good time.

Only Logan seemed indifferent. He was only there because the professor had asked it of him, afraid something might happen; and Logan was only too glad to help, almost _hoping _someone uninvited would drop in. He flexed his fingers. He was thirsty for a fight.

He had not, however, taken in consideration that there would be romance blooming before his very eyes. Ever protective, he had almost growled at Bobby when he had taken Rogue's hand and pulled her onto the dancefloor; then he remembered the promise he had made to Rogue last year.

"I don't mean for you to leave entirely," she had said, looking timidly into his face, "but I am grown up, Logan. I'm nineteen years old; I'm not a little kid anymore. It's nice to know there's someone watching over me, someone who's always protecting me – but you don't have to act like a mom."

"If you're talking about –"

"I mean about Bobby. I really like him, Logan. You're just going to have to get used to that. I want to date, Logan, I don't want to be cut off all the time. I'm still a bit of a teenager; I need some space.

"Okay, kid," he had said, ruffling her hair and hugging her close. She smiled up at him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, careful not to touch him for too long.

"Thanks, Logan."

Logan was snapped out of his revive by an abrupt change in the style of music: a slow song came on. His eyes narrowed slightly as Bobby led Marie onto the dancefloor, putting his hands on her waist. He relaxed when he saw the look on her face. She truly was happy with the kid, then? He closed his eyes. Images of the sixteen-year-old at the bar when he had first seen her danced in his mind. Then he saw her in Magneto's hands, her hair streaking white as his hideous machine drew the life from her. He remembered the time he had stabbed her through the chest; he remembered how she had held onto him and absorbed his healing power, and the guilt he had felt after realizing what he'd done.

_If this is what you want, kid,_ he thought to himself, _then this is what you're gonna get. But I'll still be watching over you. _Then a different image sprang into his mind: the image of a smiling, shiny-eyed face, surrounded by messy brown hair. Amanda. He almost chuckled as he though of her; of the way she always smiled and her quickness to laugh at any little thing. She truly was something special.

In fact, he wondered, could she perhaps be something beyond simply _special_? Then he saw her move onto the dancefloor next to Bobby and Rogue, her hand held in Kurt's. His eyes narrowed; she was slow-dancing with the blue elf? Well...

A moment of silence penetrated the music as everybody saw Melavina herding Scott to a dark, secluded corner. Logan nearly laughed at the look on his face... priceless!

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**Authoress's note: **hehe, I'm cutting here. I'm sure the looks on your faces are priceless as well! XD But review quickly enough and I'll post the next chapter as well. So review!! 


	14. The Halloween Party: part II: Party Cras...

**Authoress's note: **well, I promised I'd give you the second part too, didn't I? I've been a bit sick, so sorry for the wait!

**Reviewers' Response:**

**chelsey-pudge – **hehehe, evil me. Triangles rock. Except when they appear on a geometry exam. x( I hope this matches the last chapter on the awesomeness scale!

**Pyro Lady – **really? Cool. Blah, I didn't like Sabertooth. He was like a pissed-off cat that'd had his toy taken away. Though I like cats . Toad was nice, actually. I loved his sarcasm.

**I Stole Brad Pitt – **heh, I'll try and give Logan some more fic time :)

**Rogue200315 – **hey, welcome to VR!

**xImmortalx – **muahahaha! Is the look on your face priceless? I'm betting it is.

**Silverone3 – **s'okay. I've been busy as well. Glad you likey!

**Chesher – **Quito! Finally, you're reviewing! Glad you like it so much. Please, pleeeeeaaaaase draw me a pic of Kurt and Amanda! See ya at school tomorrow! Tusha.

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From last time:

_A moment of silence penetrated the music as everybody saw Melavina herding Scott to a dark, secluded corner. Logan nearly laughed at the look on his face... priceless!  
_

**

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**

**Chapter 14: The Halloween Party: **

**Part II: Party Crashers**

"Well, _Mr. Summers_," she said. "You're certainly hot tonight."

"Uh, thanks, I guess," he said. "Um, you look..." his eyes traveled for the first time up and down her figure completely, eyeing her clothes – or rather, lack of – quite approvingly, she thought. She smiled inwardly. She pressed closer to him, leaning on him slightly at an angle that would have been quite ... enjoyable, had Scott not been a teacher and she a student.

"Mel," he began.

"Oh, Scott," she whispered, shivering slightly. "I'm cold."

"Cold?" he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. Mel closed her eyes, breathing in the scent that was him. The cologne he wore, the smell of the soap he used... "Better?"

"Mmm," she said, turning around so that she was facing him, "much better." She leaned in, rising to her tiptoes and pushing her lips onto his.

Scott tensed up. For a moment he remained in the kiss, until his rational side surfaced. He pushed her away gently. Melavina stepped back, tears already stinging in her eyes. "Scott?" she whispered.

"No, Mel. We can't do this. You can't do this."

Mel looked down. "I know," she said weakly. "Bye, then." She turned around and started to walk away; then she walked back slowly and kissed him simply on the cheek. "Bye, Cyclops."

Scott stayed silent, his hand going to the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him. He traced his tongue over his lips, tasting her cherry lip-gloss. He looked at her retreating figure and ran a hand through his hair. "Too bad she's got such great legs," he sighed.

**-X-**

"_What,_" demanded Kitty as she stood next to Mel at the snack table, "was all that about?"

Mel smiled sadly. "I kissed him."

"I – you did _what!_" Kitty dropped her cup of punch.

"Yeah," Mel sighed. "But he said we can't... and he's right, I know it." She looked wistfully at Scott's back, as he talked to Kurt and Amanda, and realized suddenly that she still had his coat around her shoulders. "Oh. I'd better give this back to him... be right back."

**-X-**

By midnight, people were starting to drift back to their dormitories. The music had gone down in volume and slow songs were more frequent. Amanda was practically asleep on her feet, her hands clasped behind Kurt's neck, her head on his shoulder. Bobby and Rogue were in a similar state. Scott had allowed Melavina to dance with him for a while, and though she was barely holding back from kissing him again, they looked rather cute dancing together. Logan was eyeing the remaining dancing couples with a strange expression on his face, standing next to the Professor and Dr. McCoy.

It was then that a great _BANG_ was heard though the Institute. Amanda jerked awake. Logan's eyes narrowed as his nose picked up a good few familiar scents. "Magneto," he growled. "And he's got Mystique with him... and Pyro. And plenty more."

Next to him, Xavier sighed. _It's a pity he couldn't have waited until the party was over,_ he thought ironically.

The doors of the gym burst open, and in strode Magneto, dressed in his usual black attire and red cape, as well as his helmet. Next to him stood Mystique, looking smug. Pyro stood behind them; he actually looked nervous, standing in a place he had abandoned over three years ago. Another, younger man was standing next to Pyro, wearing mostly black. His dark-blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and his green eyes had a darker sheen to them. He seemed to melt into the shadows as soon as Amanda caught his eye.

Next to Pyro and the younger man stood a woman – Amanda thought she looked about her age; perhaps a few years younger, but she carried herself as though she were queen of the world. She was dressed in black leather from head to toe, including gloves and boots. Her hair was black, and her eyes – her eyes, Amanda would never forget. Where there should have been white, there was only black. The kind of black that you only saw in the darkness behind your eyes. **(A/N:gags: can't believe I wrote that!) **The only colour seen in her eyes was a vivid kind of violet-blue, in the blackened iris. A shiver ran down Amanda's back.

Next to the woman stood two men who seemed more or less Pyro's age. They were obviously twins; both had blue eyes and black hair, though one's was shorter and one's slightly longer. Another young woman stood next to them, with blue eyes and short blond hair, tinged blue at the ends.

Magneto stepped forward. He eyed the party decorations with raised eyebrows, taking in the fog on the floor and the inhabitants of the gym, all of them in costumes. "Good evening, Charles," he said casually, standing before Xavier.

"Eric," Xavier sighed. "What are you doing here?" he asked tiredly.

"I believe your younger students might call it _crashing a party_," said Magneto idly. He gestured to Pyro, who held out his hand.

Bobby's eyes widened. "John, don't!"

Pyro's head jerked up to look at his old friend. "I'm not John anymore, Bobby. My name's Pyro." He spread his arms wide. "I am a god, Bobby! Look at me," he laughed, "and then look at you." He flicked his hand. A small tongue of fire flickered to life. Pyro reached the other hand out and sent a fireball hurtling towards Rogue.

"No!" Bobby leapt between the fireball and Rogue, conjuring up a wall of ice that protected them. Fire and ice met, and nothing was left of either. Bobby looked at Pyro with narrowed eyes.

Magneto smiled. "Go on, Pyro. Continue your work, my Fire-God." He gestured to the other mutants standing behind him. Immediately, Mystique sprang into action, flipping between people. The blonde man spread his hands out, and a large shadow seemed to cover everything. Into this shadow Pyro released bolts of fire, adding smoke to the fray. The twins hung back, looking unsure of what to do. The woman dressed in black, however, held a hand out towards Amanda.

Amanda hastily drew up a mental barrier, but it seemed that the woman was not a telepath. Instead... Amanda felt something like a steel-clawed hand crawl into her mind and squeeze. Intense pain spread through her, and her knees buckled. She fell to the floor, gasping in pain. The bruise she had acquired earlier that day tripping over a pumpkin throbbed unbearably. The emotional pain and confusion she had been feeling ever since being thrust into this new world of mutants and death intensified and reached a crescendo inside her head. She screamed.

She was vaguely aware of Kurt teleporting next to her and putting an arm around her waist, then teleporting to the other corner of the gym. The pain in her mind and her body dwindled somewhat; but it was still lurking there, ready to be awakened and to be used against her. "Will you be all right?"

"Yes, yes – I'll be fine. Go, help the others!"

Kurt nodded and teleported away. She could glimpse him here and there, hanging on the walls, lashing out with his tail, tripping members of the Brotherhood. Logan was in the middle of the room, slashing left and right, delivering loud punches and spouting colourful curses. Amanda concentrated on the snack table next to which Pyro was standing. She screwed up her eyes and slowly, ever so slowly, the table lifted off the floor. Pyro, completely oblivious to the fact that the table was about to slam into him, continued sending bolts of fire at everyone in sight. She frowned and gave the table a swing.

Pyro cried out as the table slammed into his chest; even halfway across the large gym, Amanda heard a few of his ribs crack. She winced, but wasted no compassion on him. She drew up a mental barrier and stepped into the shadow and smoke.

**-X-**

The battle seemed to rage for hours; actually, it had only been around ten minuets when somebody grabbed Amanda from behind. It was the black-eyed woman. Amanda frowned and tried to creep into her mind, but she felt herself stopped by a barrier; much like the one she herself had learned to build up, but made of solid steel. She gave an exasperated sigh and went for the old-fashioned way.

The woman collapsed as Amanda landed a kick to the side of her leg, but she did not cry out. Instead she held her hand out towards her. But Amanda would have none of it; she landed the woman a solid punch to the jaw. This time she cried out and held her hand to her face.

Amanda turned away and tried to locate her friends. The smoke-detectors on the ceiling had sensed the smoke and water was now added to the room. Amanda stuck to the walls, until she collided with someone and fell to her knees. It was Terry.

"Terry! What're you doing here?"

Terry lifted her head from her hands and gave Amanda a teary-faced look. "I'm scared," she whispered, ashamed of herself.

Amanda placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, now's not the time to be scared, Terry. Now is the time to make some good use of your powers. You see all the smoke and shadow in the room?"

"Yes..."

"Well, can you make a whirlwind or something? Just – something to shift the smoke a bit, so we can see where we're going and who we're trying to hurt?"

"I – I don't think I can –"

"I don't care what you think. I want you to concentrate on what you know. Do you know how to make wind?"

"Y – yes. Professor Xavier and Miss Munroe told me to –"

"Just do it!" Amanda raced off to help Melavina. A few minuets went by; Mel was perfectly capable of punching anyone who came near her, but the poor girl was completely vulnerable to telepathic attacks. Then she noticed she could see more of the room than before. Terry was still in a corner of the room, but she had picked herself up and was standing rigidly with her eyes closed, muttering to herself. A whirlwind was slowly forming in front of her; her dress was being picked up by it. As soon as it was fully formed, Terry sent it out into the room.

The shadow-kid, as Amanda had named him when she saw what he could do, was picked up completely by the whirlwind and slammed into the wall. The shadows instantly started to thin, and visibility grew. Amanda took advantage of the better view, and sent chairs and tables flying, trying not to hit people on her side.

She was concentrating so hard that she completely missed the tidal-wave that came hurtling towards her.

Wait.

A tidal-wave. In the _gym?_

Scary thought. The blond-tinged-blue-haired mutant apparently could control water: she was smiling, leaning against the far wall, one hand swinging lazily back and forth, as though conducting an orchestra. The water from the smoke detectors couldn't possibly have been enough for such a large wave, Amanda thought; possibly she could also conjure water.

Eyes narrowed, clothes soaking wet, she sent a table in her direction. The water mutant yelped and directed a wave at the table, stopping its progress, though it did distract her enough. Most of the water disappeared.

Now grinning slightly, Amanda concentrated on another table, aimed, and prepared to throw it at Magneto. She let loose, and the table flew through the air, directly at him. Three feet away, it stopped. At first she thought he might have stopped it, but then she thought: there was no metal in the table; it was made completely of wood.Surely a few screws were not enough to stop a whole wooden table, was it?

Then someone new caught her eye: a woman around her age, with chin-length red hair, wearing dark clothes and holding her hand out towards the table. Amanda instantly saw she was a telekinetic; how else could she have stopped the table? Then the woman turned around and swung her hand towards her. The table flew straight at her; she had to jump to the side in order to avoid it. Who was this woman?

"Jean!"

Amanda got up; the whole gym was silent. The X-Men and the students were all looking at the woman. Scott especially looked horrified. "Jean?" he whispered.

_Jean!_ Amanda's eyes widened. Yes, Jean had been a telekinetic, but... _Isn't she supposed to be dead?_

Then something hard hit the back of her head, and everything went black.

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**Authoress's note: **Hehehe, aren't I evil? Anyway, review enough, and chapter 15 will be up pretty soon. 


	15. Kidnap

**Authoress's note:** god, sorry for the delay! I am so sorry! I've been busy. Exams, family stuff. Too much to do ... also, this chapter came out horribly cheesy and a bit weird; I wrote it sometime at school, never mind. Hope it isn't too bad. O.o

**Reviewers' Response:**

**Pyromainiac**** – **hello. Welcome to VR! Sorry you had to wait so long.

**the**** littlest weasley – **hehe, here ya are. Again, sorry for the delay.

**chelsey-pudge**** - **:happy sigh: I likey this awesomeness scale thingy

**Pyro Lady – **muahaha, cliffies are fun, aren't then? Well... sorry for the delay, but, after all, I **AM** only human-.-

**xImmortalx**** - **:feels priceless: hehe...

**Rogue200315 – **updating (albeit late)

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**Chapter 15: Kidnap**

Amanda regained consciousness a few hours later, her head aching horribly and her body awkwardly positioned. She opened her eyes and raised her head to check her surroundings. She was in a small grey cell, the walls bare and the floor a hard, cold stone. She had been lying on her side, one hand twisted at an odd angle. She straightened it gingerly; it was not broken, but it hurt. She rubbed it repeatedly, slowly trying to get the blood flowing regularly again.

The room had a large heavy door, but of course it was locked. She frowned at it and sank to the floor, her thoughts gloomy. She had no idea where she was, no real idea who had kidnapped her – though the Brotherhood was number one suspect – and she was completely sore and tired.

There was a large hole-like window taking up one wall, barred and angry-looking. Amanda chanced a look out of it, her eyes widening at the sudden drop, waves crashing at the foot of a cliff hundreds of feet below. The cold November air blew through the hole, chilling her. She was still dressed in her costume – which was not very much at all. She slid down onto the floor as far from the window as she could, hugging her knees to her chest.

Several hours passed like this, and Amanda's thoughts became gloomier and gloomier as they went by. She tried to remember what Xavier had told her about the members of the Brotherhood – not much. She knew its members that had shown up at the Institute, and tried to remember what each of them had done. Magneto, Pyro and Mystique she knew, but there were still others. The shadow-kid, for one. He could be a problem. She'd seen him throwing his clouds of shadow around the room, obscuring everyone's view and making it hard to breathe. She had also seen him melt into the shadows – not just his own, but merging with the shadow of any object or person.

Next, there were the twins. She hadn't exactly seen what they could do; she had only seen one of them touching Pyro's shoulder at one point. Other than that, they were a complete mystery to her. Next. The woman in black leather. Amanda shivered at the thought of her. She truly scared her. What did she do? Intensify pain, it seemed, she though as she gingerly touched the bruise on her leg.

Other than that, there was just the blonde girl. Amanda wondered what she could do. Her ponderings on the Brotherhood finished, Amanda's thoughts returned to her gloomy state. From Scott and the professor, she had learned that the Brotherhood had set up their headquarters on some deserted base, located on a distant island somewhere miles and miles off into the ocean. She wondered if the X-Men were looking for her now. She thought of Logan and Kurt, and actually smiled for a second.

**-X-**

"They _what!_"

"They kidnapped her?" said Kurt, just as alarmed as Logan.

"Oh my," said Rogue. "Poor Manda... we have to get her out of there!"

"Yes," agreed Xavier. "We need to get her back. I don't think the Brotherhood will harm her; they merely want to draw us to them."

"Mein Gott. But why?" said Kurt, shaking his head. "What do they want with us?"

"Nothin' but a fight," growled Logan. He could still smell Mystique's scent in the gym.

"I'm not exactly sure what they want with us, Kurt. Nonetheless, we need to find her. Scott, Ororo, ready the jet." Cyclops and Storm nodded and headed towards the elevators to the lower levels. "Logan, find Hank." Logan nodded and went in search of the scientist. "Kurt?"

"I will come," he promised. "I think this could be a good opportunity to give the younger ones a chance, Herr Professor."

"Yes, I think you might be right. Go get ready. Rogue, Bobby, I want you to find Kitty and Melavina. I daresay they'll be glad to help out."

"Sure thing, professor." Rogue ran off to find the pair, Bobby in tow, while Kurt went to his room to get ready. The X-Men would be ready within fifteen minuets; enough time for him to get ready. He reached his room and kneeled on the floor, clasping his hands together and saying a quick prayer for Amanda. As an afterthought, he added a prayer for the X-Men as well.

**-X-**

Amanda had somehow managed to doze off on the cold stone floor; she was jerked awake at the sound of creaking metal. The door of the room opened, and Magneto strode in, accompanied by Mystique and the shadow-kid. She glared at the three of them, standing up and brushing herself off.

"Magneto," she said, her voice cold. "What're you doing here? What do you want with me?"

"Oh, nothing much just now, my dear," he replied nonchalantly, smiling at her. "Perhaps a few answers will do."

"I'm not telling you anything," she spat.

Magneto sighed. "We could go about this the hard way, you know. I was merely hoping you would cooperate."

"Cooperate, my ass," she muttered. She leaned against the cold wall. "Let me go."

"I have no doubts that your friends are on their way to save you even as we speak," Magneto said, not taking his eyes off her. "All I want is details, my dear. Nothing more. I know about the lower levels of the school; have no doubt about that. But I do not know everything. And you do."

**-X-**

"Buckle up, folks," said Scott as he expertly maneuvered the jet out of the basketball court. His tone was curt and strong, but everybody knew he was shaken. After all, it's not an easy thing to see your loved one back from the dead.

Next to him in the co-pilot's seat, Storm was already looking out a window, checking the weather and calling up winds to back their speedy flight, fog roiling beneath the jet to supply cover. Behind them sat Xavier, concentrating, eyes closed, trying to find any hint of Amanda. Behind them, Next to him sat Logan, still annoyed that he'd only gotten a few swipes at Mystique; he yearned for the opportunity to plunge his claws into her flesh. Kurt was silent, his eyes closed and his lips moving in silent prayer, while Hank was thinking up any reason for the Brotherhood to kidnap Amanda specifically.

In the back-seats sat Rogue and Bobby, with Kitty and Melavina next to them. The pair had been ecstatic at first, when Rogue had informed them that they would participate in the rescue-mission. They had giggled and squealed when they were given their uniforms, but had sobered up as soon as the jet took off; Amanda's life could very well rest on the outcome of the mission.

With those thoughts on their minds, the youngest members of the X-Men sat silent and thoughtful in their seats, going over plans and details in their heads.

"Mel?"

"What?"

"This is going to work, right?"

"Sure it is." Mel fiddled with her hair, braiding it and unbraiding and braiding it again. "Sure it is," she repeated. Kitty tried to smile, but found it somewhat difficult. Her thoughts turned to Amanda, and she resolved to do anything and everything she could to help get her friend out of there.

**-X-**

"I shall ask you again," Magneto said calmly. "How many children does Charles have in the school?"

"Why do you care?" she spat.

"Because I need to know, my dear. If I plan to eliminate my enemies – and I am afraid Charles is the strongest one of them – then I need to know this."

"You bastard!" Amanda launched herself at him, fists flying. Barely a foot away, she was jerked backwards, her arms held back by Mystique and the shadow-kid. Magneto drew a palm-sized ball of metal from his pocket, and before Amanda's widening eyes he smoothed it into a thin metal bar. He held it out on his palm, and it floated towards her, snaking around her wrists. Mystique and Shadowcaster let go.

Her hands held behind her back, Amanda lost her balance and hit the floor, hard. Magneto moved his fingers, and the makeshift cuffs separated, bringing her hands forward forcefully. He raised his hand, and the cuffs went with it, connecting again. Amanda let out an exclamation of pain as her arms were pulled over her head and she was held up in the air. Spots danced before her eyes.

"Well?" said Magneto.

"I am not – telling you – anything," she said through gritted teeth. Magneto sighed, lowering his hand. Amanda crashed to the floor again. Muffling another groan, she managed to ask, "What are you going to do with me?"

"Me? Nothing, my dear." Magneto turned to Shadowcaster. "Get the twins down here." Shadowcaster spared one last glance at Amanda, gave her a smirk and then disappeared, melting into the shadows. "I merely need your gifts."

"What for?"

"You will see."

A few minuets passed in silence. Amanda glared at Magneto, and then at Mystique. The woman simply looked back indifferently. Amanda found herself slowly developing an intense hatred for the woman, coupled with a strange curiosity. She wondered if she'd always been such a shade of blue. With a start, she realized how similar it was to Kurt's skin's colour. She wondered if there was any connection between the two of them. She hoped to God that there was not.

Footsteps drew her from her wonderings. The twins stepped in, looking exactly alike except for the length of their hair – one's was shorter and one's longer.

"Ah, Brian, Rick," said Magneto, smiling at the pair of them. "Are you ready for what I told you?" The pair of them nodded. The one with the shorter hair stepped forward. "I would like you to meet Brian, Amanda. He has earned the nickname 'Copycat' from his brother, because of his ability to copy other mutants' powers. In some ways, he is much like your friend Rogue; the only difference between them is that Brian here can control himself, and draw power from mutants at will, not unconsciously."

"Nice to meet you," Amanda spat dryly. "So you're going to copy my powers. What then?"

"Then, you should meet Rick. He has named himself 'Amplifier' for his ability to amplify mutants' powers. He also seems to trigger evolution in certain mutants; how, we are still not quite sure."

"Okay, okay, so you copy my powers, and then you amplify them. What do you plan to _do_ with those amplified powers?"

"We intend to wipe out everybody."

"Wipe out everybody?" she repeated. "What do you mean, everybody?"

"I mean, we are going to kill all the humans on this planet. All except for the mutants. Though I might be forced to kill any mutants who oppose me."

"What!"

"Yes, my dear. I have realized my mistake from Liberty Island. My machine, which I presumed simply sped up the normal mutation process in any normal person, was not really working properly. My plan had been to make everybody equal. But I see now that this is impossible, and unfortunately so. So, I have to do something else." He motioned Brian closer.

"You really are crazy," she muttered.

"Perhaps," Magneto smiled at her. "But at least I know what I am doing."

"Do you, really?" she said, shaking her head. "You know something, Magneto?" Amanda steeled herself for what she was about to say. "You're just bitter. You are a sad, bitter old man, with too many bottled-up fears and anger. And you have a right to that anger," she said as his fixed his cold gaze upon her. "I saw the numbers on your arm. You're completely entitled to be angry for the crimes that were committed on behalf of your people. But you are no better." She continued quietly, despite the look on his face. No-one around spoke; no-one moved. Amanda went on. "What did you do three years ago? At Alkali Lake, what did you try to do?" she shook her head at the blank look on his face. "You tried to kill everybody! You tried to kill anybody who wasn't a mutant. Anybody who was different. Anybody who was not like you.

"You disgust me. Plain and simple, you really are a disgusting person. You were hurt as a child. You suffered injustice and ridicule, just because you were different by birth. Your family was murdered. But you got over that, didn't you? You've healed, with only scars to show for the horrors you went through. And then you turn right around and do exactly what they did!"

"What they did –" Magneto finally acknowledged her little speech.

"No, you shut up, Magneto," Amanda glared at him. "You shut up and you listen up. What they did was despicable, yes. But what you did was no better. You tried to murder anyone who wasn't a mutant – this is more than six million Jews here, Magneto, this is billions and billions of human beings – Jews among them, most probably! Whole families, women, children – completely innocent but for the crime of being born different – and you wanted to kill them.

"And before that, at Liberty Island? You wanted to turn everybody else into mutants. You wanted everybody to be like you. Sounds familiar? Because when you did that, at Liberty Island and at Alkali Lake, you were no better than them.

"You were – you are no better than all those Nazis back then in the Holocaust. You are no better than William Stryker and his men, experimenting on mutants and creating new ones. You are no better than anybody else, and I think it's about time you opened your eyes and realized what you're trying to do here. Sober up, Magneto." And with that, she turned away, while Magneto calmly stood up, marched to the door and opened it, only his slamming it behind him betraying his anger.

One eyebrow raised, Mystique took over. "Go on, do it," she said to Brian, pulling a small knife and handing it to him. Amanda's eyes widened. Slowly, Brian came forwards, kneeling next to her and taking hold of her arm. She struggled, but Rick came up and held her steady. With one swift motion, Brian made a thin cut in her arm, collecting a few drops of blood in a small glass vial and handing it to his brother, who placed it in his pocket. Amanda hissed as the knife cut across her arm, but otherwise remained silent.

When Brian stood up, Rick let go of Amanda, who narrowed her eyes at the pair of them. What now? What did they need her blood for?

* * *

**Authoress's note:** muahahahaha! God, I am evil, aren't I? I make you wait more than two weeks and then give you this crappy chapter... :sigh: I'm sorry :( I hope next the chapter (will be up by Saturday, I promise!) will make up for it...


	16. Rescue

**Authoress's notes: **eep. Sorry for being late again. I know I promised Saturday, but I wasn't home on Saturday, so I'm updating now – but hey, it's still the weekend for most of you! I'mgo toschool on Sunday! -pouts-

**Reviewers' Response:**

**the**** littlest weasley – **yikes. People actually liked that cheesy speech! I was really surprised by that... I'm a Jew myself, and so I'm a bit sympathetic towards Magneto... and besides, it's Ian McKellen! He's fucking hot! -ahem-

**Pyro Lady – **thanks.

**chelsey**** pudge – **hmm. Interesting. That's good:)

**preciousbabyblue**** – **you'll see :)

**Pyromainiac**** – **muahahaha, I **am **evil, aren't I? Glad you love it:D

**xImmortalx**** – **god, everybody likes the chapter! I thought it was awful! I'm so glad you all liked it!

* * *

**Chapter 16: Rescue**

Kurt finished his last prayer as Scott gently set the jet down on the roof of the fortress-like building. Xavier went over the rescue plans one last time, making sure everybody knew their part and what to do should something go wrong. He himself would stay on the jet, ready for a speedy takeoff once everybody would be back on-board. After a few minuets spent arguing with Logan, trying to convince him to wear an earpiece so that he could be in contact with everybody else, Melavina came up to him and whispered in his ear, "Are you willing to waste this time, knowing Amanda's in there, only god knows in what state? Just put on the damn earpiece!"

Growling at her, he jammed the earpiece into his ear and kicked open the jet's ramp, stepping down and sniffing. He could detect Amanda's scent quite dimly – she'd been here, or nearby, a few hours ago. Mystique and Magneto's scents were also evident. "They were here," he told the rest. "Do you know where she is?" he asked Xavier.

"All I know is that she's along the outer edges of the building; most possibly she's not on the first or second floor."

Logan nodded. "Right. I'm taking –" he paused, "the third level. You guys spread out in the others."

Rogue and Bobby volunteered for the fourth floor.

"All right," said Kitty. "Come on, Mel, let's do this."

"We'll find her," said Mel. Taking Kitty's arm, she pulled her to the trapdoor Logan had left open. "We'll take the fifth floor." Next, Storm and Cyclops chose the sixth level, each activating their earpieces and climbing down the ladder into the building.

"I shall take the seventh floor," said Kurt. "Herr Doktor?"

"I'll go with you." Beast climbed down from the jet, his eyes narrowed. He'd taken a liking to Amanda; she always made him laugh.

"I shall keep a telepathic link open with you all," said Xavier, "in case the earpieces malfunction."

"_Right_," echoed everybody's answer through the earpieces.

**-X-**

"Kitty. Kitty."

"Hang on, Mel..." Kitty phased back through the wall, solidifying and shaking her head. "She's not there. Come on, next room."

"Kitty."

"What?" she said, exasperated. Mel pointed at Shadowcaster standing at the end of the corridor. "Oh." She instantly grabbed Mel's hand and phased through the wall she had just come out of, solidifying and saying, "Okay, now's your turn. Work your magic on him."

Mel's eyes took on a lighter sheen of violet. "Ready."

Kitty phased half-way through the wall, her head and torso out in the corridor while the rest of her body remained inside the room, on the other side of the wall. "Hey, you!" she yelled at Shadowcaster. His head snapped up instantly, and his eyes narrowed at her. "Over here!" She shifted back into the room. "Ready?"

"Kitty, I was born ready."

Kitty rolled her eyes at the cheesy line. After a few seconds, the door of the room opened, and Shadowcaster stepped in, saying, "What are you doing –"

He never finished his sentence, as Melavina stepped in front of him and looked him squarely in the eye. His eyes glazed over, and his face froze in a confused expression. "C'mon!" Mel yelled at Kitty "He'll be dazed enough for a while; he won't be coming after us, that's for sure."

Kitty stepped up to Shadowcaster and shook her head at him. "You're a jackass, you know that?"

"Kitty, come on!" The two of them ran from the room.

"Mel, you are good to have around." Kitty grinned. Mel grinned back at her, and the pair of them set down the corridor, looking for their friend.

**-X-**

Logan walked quickly through the corridors of the third floor of the building, keeping his ears, eyes and nose alert. His fists clenched at his sides, showing his anger at the Brotherhood. He could smell Magneto and Mystique's scents all over the building, and it drove him nearly mad. He longed to find them both, to hurt them horribly. Then the image of Amanda came into his mind, in her costume as he had last seen her, and his anger diminished somewhat, to be replaced with – what _was_ that feeling he'd been getting lately? Sure, he liked her, but ... _Why is it all the good girls I meet always get kidnapped by Magneto and his Brotherhood? he_ thought sourly. He tried not to think of Amanda as a prisoner here in one of the rooms, perhaps hurt, or even ...

_Don't go there, Wolverine. Just, don't. _

His anger came back, full force.

Suddenly, he caught Amanda's scent... along with Melavina's. He dropped his gaze to the floor, where a cowboy hat lay on the floor. Mel's hat – Amanda had worn it as part of her costume. He picked it up, his fingers clutching it tightly. He'd be dammed if they lay a finger on her.

Footsteps coming around the corner caught his attention. He snapped out his claws and jumped around the corner, frightening whoever it was.

"Wolverine! God, you scared me!"

Logan's eyes narrowed. "Amanda?" The scent wasn't right, he thought to himself. Ah. Mystique. He decided to play along; he slid his claws back in halfway, ready to snap them out again any second.

"Yes, Amanda. Who did you think I was? Come on, let's get out of here!"

"No thanks," he growled, hitting her squarely in the face. She fell to the floor, but quickly sprang back up, shifting back into her normal, blue-scaled form and smirking at him. They sparred for a few minuets, he with brute force and hard, quick blows; she with agility and flexible movements. "Guys?" he growled into the communication device. "I could use some backup here."

"_Bobby and Rogue are closest to you_," said Xavier's voice in his ear, "_I'll send them down._"

"Great," he muttered, and slashed at Mystique again. She flipped over backwards, avoiding his claws and kicking him in the chin. He landed hard on his back, and stood up quickly to see Bobby round the corner, Rogue hot on his trail. Next thing her knew, two Rogues stood before him. "Oh, great."

"Logan?" said the Rogue standing on Bobby's left.

"Shut up, Mystique!" said the other Rogue, who could have very well been Mystique herself. Bobby was looking from one to the other, thoroughly confused, not knowing which was which. He'd thought ... but now there were two...

"Logan?" he said. "How do we know which one?"

"Quiet," Logan silenced him. The two Rogues were now facing each other, both of them glaring and looking exactly alike. "Marie?"

Both turned their heads to him; one, however, did so before the other. "Lift your shirt a bit," he told her. She did so, revealing her smooth stomach, no scars blemishing her skin.

With no hesitation, Logan ran towards the other Rogue, adding another scar to her collection from him. Working with him, Rogue kicked Mystique's feet out from beneath her, and she crashed to the floor, fading back to herself. Then someone else rounded the corner: a dark-haired, blue-eyed mutant, carrying a glass vial in his hand, full of a dark red liquid that looked suspiciously like blood. Eyes wide, he lunged forward and grabbed Rogue from behind. Another person rounded the bend – Kelly, the water mutant. She melted instantly and a wall of water raced towards the X-Men.

Bobby held his hands out and caught the flood of water in the middle of the corridor, forming a wall of smooth, slippery ice, and was trying to freeze another dark-haired, blue-eyed mutant. Presumably the two were twin brothers. Mystique still lay unconscious on the floor.

Rogue elbowed the mutant who had grabbed her in the stomach, making him release her and double over for a second. She stepped forward and slipped on the ice, sliding towards Logan. "Logan!" she cried out, hoping he'd catch her and stop her fall.

Logan spun around at Rogue's yell, and instinctively reached out to catch her. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten to sheathe his claws, and all three of his right hand sank into Rogue's stomach. Letting out a scream of pain, she fell to the floor.

"Shit," Logan cursed, and knelt next to her. "Bobby, cover us!" Almost instantly a wall of thick ice formed before them, shielding them from any other attacks. Logan removed one of his gloves and gently touched his hand to Rogue's cheek. He felt the pull of her skin instantly, that slow suction-like feeling that drained him of his power. Shallow gashes and bruises reappeared on his skin as his body lost its healing power, transferring it to Rogue.

Finally, he detached himself from her and lay on his back, trying to breathe normally. Rogue opened her eyes and blinked at him, lifting her shirt to inspect yet another scar that was quickly fading into nothing. She stood up and hauled Logan to a half-sitting position against the wall, gently holding his face up with one gloved hand.

"Thanks, Logan. What would I do without you?"

"You'd never get stabbed in the first place, for one thing," he said weakly.

She chuckled at him. "Right. Stay here until you get your strength back; I'm gonna kick some ass."

"Go get 'em, kid."

Smashing through the thinning wall of ice with one well-placed kick (she'd learned some good moves from Logan and Kurt), she ran headlong at the mutant who had grabbed her before. Letting out an almost growl-like yell inspired by the Logan in her head, she showered him with punches and kicks, just like Logan had taught her, guided by his 'borrowed' hearing, animalistic instincts and stamina.

The poor boy didn't know what hit him. He held his hands up, trying (rather unsuccessfully) to block her punches and kicks; finally, he managed to catch her leg as she came round for a high spin-kick. The leg of her pants, however, had fallen down a bit as she'd swung her leg up, and Rick had reached out and grabbed it, touching her exposed skin. Both froze, looking at his hand on her ankle; Rogue half-expected to feel the mutant in her mind within seconds. She hadn't, however, expected a huge flash of light and a blinding sensation of half-cold, half-heat that ran through her body. She fell to the floor, unconscious.

Logan, who had by now regained some of his strength, stood up just as she fell. Growling, he landed the mutant a single punch, shattering his nose by the sound of it. The only member of the Brotherhood left standing was Brian, though he couldn't really have changed his position if he wanted to, as Bobby had encased the lower half of his body in ice, making him a half-frozen statue in the middle of the floor.

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"Who?" Brian said, trying to look as though he meant it. He did, after all, know exactly who Bobby was referring to.

"You know goddamn well who," said Logan, carrying Rogue and glaring at the mutant.

"What, do you mean the girl – what's her name – Andrea?"

"Amanda," growled Logan.

"Oh, her. Yes. Um. Well, I don't really know where she is."

Logan raised an eyebrow. Handing Rogue over to Bobby, he bent down to the unconscious mutant at his feet, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the vial of blood. "Don't you? This is her blood."

"Oh. Right." Brian bit his lip. Logan snapped out his claws.

"Don't make me hurt you more than I need to."

"Right." Brian eyed the adamantuim claws edgily. "She's on the seventh floor. Second room on the left once you come up the stairs in the middle."

"Good. Iceman, you get Rogue to the jet. I'll get the others to the seventh floor."

"Got it." Bobby shifted his hold on Rogue, putting one arm under he knees and one under her shoulders, careful not to touch her skin. Then he turned and made his way down the corridor, careful of his ice.

"Wait!" yelled Brian, his eyes widening as Logan set off to find the staircases. "Wait – where're you going? You're can't just leave me here like this!"

"Watch me," said Logan as he rounded the corner.

**-X-**

"I just hope she is all right," said Kurt as he and Hank walked quickly down the corridors of the seventh floor. He could feel the vibrations through the floor as Beast growled.

"She had better be," he said, "or someone tonight will _not _feel good."

Kurt smiled at the scientist. "Don't worry about her," he said, "I think she can take care of herself, and I truly do not envy anybody who wishes to harm her. Come on," he stepped towards a heavy metal door, "let's check in here."

He tried opening the door, but it was too heavy. "Let me," said Beast. He wrapped both furry hands around the metal handle and pulled, but to no avail. The door would not budge. "I can't move it," he panted. "Can you teleport in?"

Kurt looked uneasily at the door. "I don't like teleporting to places I have not been before. I cannot do it if I don't know where I'm going."

"Well, try!" Beast growled. "I won't be surprised if she's in there; this door is so heavy for a reason!"

"Ja. Very well," said Kurt, closing his eyes and unconsciously beginning to mutter a prayer. Gathering his usual cloud of blue smoke around himself, he teleported. Opening his eyes, he almost smiled. Inside, sitting on the floor with her hands in a crude pair of steel handcuffs, was Amanda. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's about time," she said. "I've been here for hours!"

This time, Kurt did smile. "I apologize meine Liebling; it took us some time to find you. Come, I'll teleport us back out."

"Uhh, Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"My hands are cuffed. Could you perhaps do something about that? They're beginning to get sore."

"Oh. Well, let me see." He took a step forward, but then his earpiece buzzed, and Dr. McCoy's deep voice reached their ears. _"Kurt, is she in there? What's happened, why aren't you teleporting back?"_

"Wait a moment, Hank. She's here, but – wait."

_"All right_..._"_

Before he could even take another step forwards, Logan's voice buzzed in his ear this time: _"Guys, she's on the seventh floor."_

Kurt rolled his eyes. Such timing. "We know, Logan," he said into the mike. "I found her. But we could use your help. Where are you?"

_"I'm somewhere on the seventh floor. Where are you? Is she okay?"_

"She's fine, but she's handcuffed... and I don't see a key anywhere. We could use those claws of yours."

_"Gottcha. Wait, I can see Beast_..._"_

"I'm coming out; I'll teleport you in." He winked at Amanda. "Be right back, Liebe," he said, and teleported.

On the other side of the door, Logan jumped back as Kurt materialized with a cloud of blue smoke. The blue mutant held his hand out to Logan. "Come; she's in there."

"Whoa," said Logan, holding his hands up. "And how am I supposed to get in there?"

Kurt looked at him, confused. "I'll teleport you," he said.

"Whoa," Logan said again. "You're not teleporting _me_ anywhere, elf."

Beast rolled his eyes. "Don't start that now like with the earpiece, Logan. Just do it." And he pushed Logan at Kurt, who caught him and instantly teleported. Beast could hear Wolverine's curses beyond the door, even without the earpieces.

Inside, Amanda greeted Logan with a grin and a, "Good to see you, Logan."

"Good to see you too," he said sarcastically, having to stop himself from sighing in relief to see her safe. Kneeling next to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and took her hands so he could see the handcuffs. She hissed as he jarred the cut on her arm. "What–?" He frowned at the cut. "Did they do this to you?"

"Mhmm," she nodded. "It was one of the twins. Brian, I think."

Logan growled. "Hold still," he instructed as he unsheathed one of his claws, carefully holding it between her handcuffed wrists. With one smooth stroke, he sliced through the cuffs, and slowly, gently inserted a single claw inside one of the circles of metal. Lifting the claw, breaking the cuff, he tossed it aside and repeated the process at her other wrist, then helped her to her feet. He gently brushed a hand over the cut on her arm. "Come on; let's get you back to the jet. Kurt?"

"I can only teleport one at a time," he said, and took Amanda's hand. Logan nodded tersely and Kurt teleported the two of them. Then he returned for Logan.

When all three were in the corridor again, Kitty and Melavina came running around the corner, Storm and Cyclops close behind. Everybody was happy to see Amanda, and the group quickly made it back to the jet.

Xavier welcomed Amanda to the jet with a smile. "Are you all right?" he asked. "Did they harm you?"

"Not much," she said, showing him the cut on her arm. "But they took some blood. All I managed to understand from Magneto was that they copied my powers and amplified them, and that they were going to kill everybody that isn't a mutant."

"Oh dear," said Xavier, frowning. "Eric, what are you up to this time?" he muttered.

* * *

**Authoress's note:** muahahahaha, evil cliffie. Well, not really. Okay, actually, yes, it is a cliffie, I suppose. Ha! -grins- Don't forget to review! 


	17. Flashback

**Authoress's notes:** is anyone still out there? I'm getting reviews... but not many -sniffsniff- I hope you're still reading – cos I'm still writing, and I'm not letting you go until I finish this story! -hehe-

**Reviewers' Response:**

**the littlest weasley – **glad you like!

**Pyromaniac – **hehe, cliffie!

**chelsey-pudge – **yep, X-Men to the rescue!

**Pyro Lady – **this chapter will answer part of your question... I hope

**xImmortalx – **you know, I do believe you're right.

* * *

**Chapter 17: Flashback**

As Storm and Cyclops handled the jet, Amanda told Xavier and the rest of the X-Men what had happened while she was in the Brotherhood's headquarters. Xavier asked her for specific details of what Magneto had said. She told him all she remembered, frowning at the though of what they planned to do with her blood. She shook her head, pouting. "I still don't understand why they had to pick me."

Xavier said, "The main reason is probably because of your telepathic powers. If Magneto planned to amplify and use them to kill everybody who is not a mutant... I suppose that's also why they needed your blood, so that Brian could copy your powers. I do wish we could have gotten it back from them."

"What, this?"

Everybody save Storm and Scott turned to Logan, who pulled a small vial full of blood from his pocket. He had simply shoved it into one of the pockets of his suit after taking it from the unconscious mutant before he'd gone to find Amanda, not giving it a second thought until now.

Amanda grinned. "Logan, you're a genius!" she cried, and flung herself into his arms. He blinked for a moment, before shrugging and handing the vial over to Xavier, then folding his arms around her.

"First time I've ever gotten that reaction over a vial of blood," he chuckled. Amanda grinned up at him and detached herself from his arms, going over to Kurt.

"I owe you too, Kurt. If you hadn't teleported in there..." she gave him a fierce hug as well, and a quick kiss on the cheek. He smiled and held a hand to the cut on her arm. It had stopped bleeding a long time ago, but it needed tending to.

"You should do something about this, Liebchen," he said.

Rogue, who had awoken a while ago, came over. "Aw, what happened?" She held her ungloved palm up to the cut, being careful not to make contact with Amanda's skin. Suddenly, a hallow of light sprang up around her hand, and the wound closed, seeming to zip shut on itself. Rogue removed her hand, eyes wide. "What did I just do?" she asked quietly.

Kitty came up to Amanda and took a good look at her arm where the cut had been. Smooth, unscarred skin was all she saw. "Cool. Rogue, this is like the White Lighters' healing power on _Charmed_!"

The occupants of the jet burst into laughter. Amanda smiled, sitting between Logan and Kurt, glad to be among friends again.

**-X-**

Everyone was happy to see Amanda again. Hank insisted she stay a while in the medic bay, claiming he wanted to check her over one last time. He also took the vial of blood off Xavier, storing it safely for later testing.

"Really, Hank, I'm all right –"

"I know, I know. You're fine. Now, I want you to go to your room. Take a nice hot shower and get into bed. Keep warm; that room you were in was too cold. You may not feel it just now, but your body's been chilled severely. I'm surprised you didn't get hypothermia yet."

Amanda chuckled. "All right, Hank. Goodnight."

He smiled at her as she left. "Goodnight."

_Oh, and Hank?_ Beast heard her voice echoing in his mind. "Yes?" he asked the empty laboratory.

_Thanks._

**-X-**

"Mr. Wagner?"

Kurt turned to the young woman beside him. "Guten Abend, Fräulein. Are you not tired? It is late."

Rogue shook her head. "Nah. I just haven't been able to get any sleep. Why are you here?"

Kurt shifted his position on the bench in the garden, crouching on the toes of his feet and rubbing the beads of his rosary between his fingers. "I came out to pray."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you –"

"Hush, meine Freundin," he smiled. "You have not disturbed me. I have finished my prayers.

Rogue smiled back hesitantly. "Okay."

The pair sat in silence for a while, looking at the diamond-littered sky. Kurt wrapped his tail around the arm of the bench and focused his gaze upon the stars, while Rogue took some time to study the teleporter himself.

She had yet to figure him out. He was a strange one indeed. He never blamed God for his condition, his mutation. He accepted his blue skin and tail, deformed fingers and toes, golden eyes and fangs – all this, he accepted with no complaint. Not only that – he actually believed that everything happened because it was God's will, and she knew he had even prayed for the souls of Stryker's men who had tortured him and used him. He prayed for the souls of every living person in the world, and for the souls of every person who had ever died in the wars and disputes between mutants and normal humans.

She sighed. Kurt had joined the X-Men immediately after the events of Alkali Lake. He had taken a special liking to Storm, but soon enough he realized that she simply needed comfort for the loss of her best friend, almost sister. Kurt had been there for her – for all of them. She knew he'd talked to Scott. He'd caught him walking around the Institute's grounds one night a week after Jean's death; he'd cornered him and managed to somehow convince him that he had to take some time to grieve and mourn, but then he'd have to get over his loss.

She'd never seen Scott cry. She wondered if he even could, with his eyes and all... She'd cried a fair deal. Everyone had. Even the Professor had nearly broken down, putting his head in his hands and turning his wheelchair around so no-one could see his face. Storm had cried. She and Bobby had cried. Jubilee had cried, Artie had cried, Jamie had cried – everybody had. And Kurt, stranger as he may have been, had comforted everyone.

He'd arranged games for the younger children – baseball and basketball and football. He'd amused the kids with acrobatic tricks and juggling feats that none of them had even seen on television. He'd tentatively asked Xavier if he could join the Institute's staff, and offered the idea of starting a pottery class. The classes soon became everybody's favorite, though it was not mandatory. The professor had offered him the positions of Latin and German, and Kurt had gladly accepted. He'd also managed to convince Logan to develop a combat/self-defense/martial-arts/fencing class – which had also quickly become popular among the students. Nobody ever wanted to be captured and used for mutant experiments like had almost happened with William Stryker's men.

The one person Rogue hadn't seen cry – was Logan. In fact, she'd hardly seen him show any emotion at all. He'd disappeared a while after returning to the mansion only to return each time and pretend nothing had happened. She knew how he felt inside, though – all the times she'd absorbed his powers and his mind made her feel the same way. Sometimes she felt as though he were inside her completely. She knew he'd always be a part of her. Literally.

She sighed. In the three – nearly four – years that she'd known Logan, she still hadn't figured him out either. The time they spent together wasn't exactly quality time, but it always made her smile to think of him. He was the first she had ever told about her powers – her curse.

"What troubles you so, Fräulein?"

"Huh?" Rogue broke out from her revive to Kurt's golden eyes looking into hers. "Oh. I – I was just thinking..."

"What about?"

She sighed again. "My curse."

"Your curse? What curse is that, Fräulein Rogue?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You know, my skin? Unable to touch anyone without draining them of their life-force? I've got so many peoples' minds in my head; I don't know who I am anymore."

Kurt smiled at her. "You thought you were cursed by God?"

Rogue nodded, head in her hands. "It's infuriating."

Kurt placed a hand on her sleeved shoulder. "God has blessed you this time."

She turned her tear-stained face to him. "W-what?"

"There, there," he wiped the tears from her face with his sleeve. "Never cry over who you are. Once you thought you could only hurt. But now, Liebling, you can also heal."

"Yeah, but –"

"And you have healed many people already, even before tonight."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"After the death of Doktor Grey, the whole school was in turmoil. And I saw you, every night. Every night you sat with somebody else, crying with them, letting them cry upon your shoulder, comforting. It is a role that suits you."

She looked at him with wide eyes.

"The power to heal is within us all," Kurt said, wiping away traces of tears on her face. "All it ever takes is a few words, or an action. Never be afraid of who you are, Fräulein. Now you can help."

"You're right," she repeated. "Now I can help." _But first, I have to check this out._

**-X-**

Amanda took a long shower, just as Dr. McCoy had instructed, but for some reason she just couldn't sleep. So she dressed in a warm pair of sweatpants and a woolen sweater some nameless old aunt had once knit her, and headed for the kitchen.

Peeking into the large kitchen, she felt her eyes widen. The room was dark, but she could see Rogue quite clearly, seated at the table with her gloves off and a sharp knife in her hand. She gasped silently as Rogue drew the knife across her finger, hissing as blood began to seep from the cut.

Then Rogue stuck her bleeding finger out, and carefully held her other hand above it. The same light that had hallowed her hand on the jet now surrounded her palm, and the small cut closed over itself, leaving behind only unscarred skin. Rogue smiled to herself and went to the sink, washing the knife and putting her gloves back on.

"Rogue, what was that?"

Rogue spun around. "Amanda?"

Amanda stepped into the kitchen, saying, "Yeah, it's me."

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Rogue gave her a half-smile.

Amanda shrugged. "Couldn't fall asleep. What were you just doing with that knife, Rogue?"

"Oh. Well. You remember what happened on the jet? When I – when I –"

"Healed my arm? Yes, I remember."

"Well, I had to try it again. Think about it, Manda," she pulled her glove off, showing her her finger. "Look, not even a scar! I may not be able to touch people randomly, but now if I focus then I can actually help!"

Amanda looked warily at Rogue's hands. "I don't know, Rogue. Why don't we go to Professor Xavier, or to Dr. McCoy?"

"Oh, all right. Is Hank still up?"

**-X-**

"Hank?"

Amanda and Rogue entered Dr. McCoy's laboratory, Amanda smiling.

"Amanda, aren't you supposed to be in bed? It's five in the morning; aren't you even a bit tired?"

"Nope." Amanda grinned brightly. "Adrenaline keeps you pumping way after the danger's over; then after a few hours you collapse."

Hank chuckled. "Is anything wrong?"

"Well, that's what we need you to determine. You see, something happened at the Fortress and Rogue..."

"I can heal now, Dr. McCoy!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah! Come see." Rogue looked around. "You got a knife or a needle somewhere around here?"

**-X-**

Scott tried to sleep. He did, really. But it seemed that sleep would not come tonight and fold its embrace around him. Images of Jean kept flashing in his head. It had only been a day ago – even less. In the gym... she'd looked exactly the same as she had before she died: same face, same eyes, same red hair – but then, for Scott, everything was red. Red... the colour of love. But also the colour of blood. Of hate.

Hate. He had seen it. Seen it in her face. Seen it as she hurled objects and people aside using telekinesis, seen it in the way she looked down at the children. She'd looked him straight in the eye ... and Scott had seen no trace of the love he had once seen there, over three years ago.

Phoenix. She called herself Phoenix now. Jean was gone; instead, all that was left was this woman who wore her face. But Scott knew that, no matter how much he denied it, this was Jean, and she was alive. And a member of the Brotherhood. On Magneto's side. Against him. He remembered seeing her in the Fortress as he searched for Amanda, Storm at his side...

_"Storm. Let's check in here," Cyclops reached for the door on his left. Storm nodded and Scott opened the door. Nothing, apart from boxes. "Okay. Let's go."_

_As they rounded the corner, Cyclops and Storm saw someone at the end of the corridor... two someones. Pyro – and Jean. Storm gasped. "Jean?"_

_Jean turned, her short hair whipping around her face. She smirked at them. "Come to save your friend?" she mocked._

_"Jean, is that you?"_

_The woman held her head up high. "Your **Jean** is dead. I am Phoenix. I died, but fire revived me. I was reborn in flames."_

_Pyro looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Where did you come up with that?"_

_She smirked at him. "Kelly."_

_"Ah. That would certainly explain the dramatics." He cupped his hands, sending a ball of fire at the two X-Men. Scott and Storm dodged in opposite directions. Scott rolled to his feet and reached up to his visor, sending a bright-red beam at Pyro, who cried out as he was hurled to the side. He quickly got up, though, and sent a huge fireball at them. Storm called up what dense air there was in the corridor and formed it into a whirlwind, which lifted Pyro off his feet._

_Phoenix glared at Storm, who had allowed herself to be picked up by the air currents and was hovering several feet in the air. Phoenix narrowed her eyes, and without warning, Storm was sent crashing to the ground. Cyclops rushed to her side, horrified at this change in his Jean. As he helped Storm up, Phoenix flung her hand out, and he too was sent crashing against the wall._

_Storm glared at Phoenix. She had been shocked at first to see Jean here, on the Brotherhood's side, but now she was just plain pissed. No-one threw her against a wall. She stood up, cape billowing out behind her in a fierce wind, her eyes crystal white. Electricity danced around her, and as she raised her hands, two bolts of white-hot lightning hit the two Brotherhood members._

_"Storm, don't!"_

_Storm turned her white eyes to Scott, indignant. "She's not our Jean anymore, Cyclops. Accept that. She's our enemy, and we have to rescue Amanda." She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let her go. We have work to do. They're both out cold. Don't worry, it wasn't a harsh shock. Just knocked them out."_

_Just then, the earpieces buzzed, and Logan's voice echoed in their ears: "Guys, she's on the seventh floor."_

_"Let's go." Storm grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down the corridor. He stole a last glance at Jean's prone form on the floor before they rounded a corner and she disappeared from view_...

And now he lay turning over in bed, thinking how foolish he was to have ever lost her. If only he'd resisted the potion Stryker had used on him... Jean wouldn't have been hurt, and would have arrived in the jet in time. She wouldn't have sacrificed herself to save them, because they would have made it...

He heard Kurt's words in his head: "No use can be found dwelling too much on the past, Herr Cyclops. You must move on."

He had answered angrily: "What do you mean, move on? You want me to forget her?"

"No, no. You must never forget her. You must let her go, however. Keep your memories, treasure them. But let her go."

And he had let go. And he had lasted three years. Three years he had let Jean be, and went back to teaching his students. He devoted himself to his life at a mentor, a leader and a teacher. He had built up strong walls, to block out anybody who tried to understand his emotions.

And all of that was shattered in an instant by the face of Jean appearing that night in the gym. A single look, and he felt his throat close up. His heart constricted with love and desire, while his mind clouded in confusion, even as Pyro – also a harsh blow, his old student joining Magneto's side – and Shadowcaster filled the large room with a cloud of shadow and smoke.

And he'd let her go. He'd missed her that one glance in the gym, but he'd had another chance at the Fortress. And he'd missed it, too.

Not again. He'd get her back. But first, he had to take care of someone else.

* * *

**Authoress's note:** hmmm. What could Scott's plotting? (I'm not too sure myself, so go ahead and guess!) Review! 


	18. Slayer

**Authoress's notes:** ai... A bit of cheesiness ahead. But, it's inevitable, as I have to stick this in someplace! And, I'm not too good with complicated plots; I suppose I shouldn't have used the idea for this story, but it just came along at this time, so I stuck it in as well. -sheepish grin-

Also – after a bit of research, I've discovered that Kurt had another Amanda in his past: Jimaine Szardos, Kurt's adoptive sister from the circus, who later took up the alias Amanda Sefton, and dated Kurt, without his recognizing her. Anyway, I never knew that when I picked Amanda for my OC's name, so this has nothing to do with Jimaine... Just so that's clear. :)

**Reviewers' Response:**

**chelsey-pudge**** – **hehe, wait 'til you read this chapter!

**... – **whoever you are, thanks for reviewing! I always love new reviewers.

**HazelSilver**** – **you're also new to VR, aren't you? Anyway, glad you like. And as you've noticed, I like cliffies!

**xImmortalx**** – **hehe, sorry for the delay. Hope you haven't died yet.

**EbonyFirePhoenix**** – **S'okay, I'm always open to suggestions. I've got the plot already pretty much fixed, but thanks for the thought.

**Pyro Lady – **actually, you're not gonna find out in this chapter. Wait 'til the next one and you know just who he's gonna 'take care of'.

**the**** littlest weasley – **Rogue... hehe. As for the 'someone', you'll see in chappie 19.

* * *

**Chapter 18: Slayer**

When Amanda woke up, the first thing she noticed was that she was hungry. Actually, hungry was the understatement of the century; she was famished. She took a quick shower to wake up -- the events of the past days had finally caught up with her -- and dressed, then headed down to the kitchen.

She hadn't expecting to be dining with company, as the students and staff were no doubt in the classrooms; but neither had she expected a breakfast to be waiting for her, ready with a card and a rose. She grinned at the cheesiness of it but opened the card nonetheless, her grin turning into a laugh as she recognized Kurt's elegant scrawl:

_Good morning, Liebe._

_Meet me in the gardens behind Ororo's greenhouse. I still haven't given you that tour of the grounds that I promised._

_Enjoy your breakfast! I do hope the pancakes turned out all right._

_–Kurt_

Amanda tucked the card back into its envelope and dug into her breakfast with relish. It was wonderful, and she made a mental note to congratulate Kurt on his splendid pancakes.

When breakfast was done, Amanda made her way out into the gardens. The school grounds were quite huge, with the mansion of the Institute nestled comfortably in the middle. All around was a wide green lawn, well taken care of and with an artificial lake and small boathouse somewhere between the trees. There was a basketball court, a baseball field, and a few training grounds. All around the grounds were surrounded by a pleasant little wood, full of green light and trees. Halfway between the main building and the wood stood Ororo's greenhouse: a large glass structure full of plants and flowers, as beautiful and exotic as the woman who cared for them.

Kurt sat on the bench behind the greenhouse, looking calm but for his tail, which Amanda could see twitching and twisting. He jumped slightly when she sat down next to him. "Ach! Guten Morgen, Liebe."

"Good morning, Kurt. Thanks for breakfast."

"Ah, you're welcome. How was it?"

"Wonderful. Your pancakes were very good."

He smiled. "Dankeschon. Fräulein Rogue taught me." He cocked his head to the side. "How are you feeling, Liebe?"

Amanda sighed. "I knew this would come up." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine, Kurt. Thanks to you, and Logan, and Beast and everyone. I'm okay, because you took care of me."

He took her hand from his shoulder and held it in his own hands. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you before we got there..."

Amanda sighed again. "I know, Kurt. I know. I'm just glad you found me."

"I am glad to have found you as well, meine Liebe."

Amanda couldn't help but wonder if he didn't exactly mean finding where she was held at the Fortress.

Kurt changed the subject: "Have you developed your telekinetic and telepathic abilities?"

"I sure have," she answered. "I practiced back at the Fortress; there was hardly any entertainment supplied. It appears that the cold enhanced my abilities," she chuckled. "Here, let me see..." she stared at a pinecone sitting on the ground. At first it shook in its place on the ground -- then, quite suddenly, it shot off the grass and into her hands. She handed it to Kurt. "Pinecones are lucky, you know."

"Yes," he cupped his hands around it. "I am very lucky. What about your telepathy?"

She looked into his eyes. She had learned that reading a person's mind was actually a lot easier than she'd thought, once you had eye-contact. The eyes held such expression in them, such a window into one's soul. Amanda nearly felt herself being sucked inside...

...and there she was, in the drawers of Kurt's mind. She gently flicked a random one open, not noticing its label. Unbeknownst to her, it was labeled '_love_' in German.

And there she saw her own face, shimmering as though a reflection in a pool of water. A few seconds later, the rippling picture solidified into a full image of herself, standing in front of her. Then an image of Kurt materialized, and the pair held hands. Slowly, almost shyly, Kurt drew his Amanda nearer, and placed a soft kiss upon her lips.

Amanda was so startled she practically fell out of Kurt's mind, gasping slightly. One hand went to her lips, which were faintly tingling, as though the kiss had been real...

"Liebling?" Kurt reached a hand out, concerned. "Are you all right?"

"I – yes – I saw..."

"You saw something? What? I hardly -- I could barely sense you. You were soft... like velvet."

She swallowed.

"What is it? I – what did you see?"

"I saw this." And she took his face in her hands and kissed him.

The kiss lasted no longer than a few seconds, but Kurt felt as though he were lost for eternity. When Amanda pulled back, Kurt was the one with his hand on his lips.

"Your touch, your lips are velvet also. You are Velvet. That is your new name."

"Velvet." She smiled slightly. "Kurt, that's beautiful."

"So are you. Ich liebe dich, Amanda."

In response, she leaned forward and captured his lips again.

_I truly am lucky,_ Kurt thought to himself. The pinecone sat innocently on the ground by his feet.

**-X-**

"Ahem."

The pair sprang apart, looking around guiltily. A man stood at the treeline of the forest, leaning on a tree-trunk and looking only mildly uncomfortable.

"Sorry to break you up, cute couple as you are; but I need to get inside the Institute."

"And exactly who are you?" said Amanda, her voice cold.

"Slayer's the name. I need to see Charles Xavier."

"I bet you do," Kurt muttered.

"A name doesn't tell me much," Amanda said. "For all I know, you could be here to kill us. I'm not just going to show you into the building."

"You don't trust me." He nodded. "Understandable. You're a telepath; go on, check my mind." He spread his hands in invitation. She eyed him warily.

"How'd you know I was a telepath?"

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "I'm a mutant, too. I have prophetic powers, of sorts. I knew it wouldn't be easy to just get inside; I'd need someone to _let_ me in."

Kurt looked at Amanda, eyebrows raised. She narrowed her eyes, and performed a quick scan. "He's telling the truth," she told him quietly. "Go tell the Professor; I'll bring him to the entrance hall."

"Ja." Kurt teleported away. Slayer walked forwards slowly.

"Thanks. I really need to talk to Xavier; it's important."

"What about?" she waved her hand in the general direction of the Institute, motioning that he follow her. She made sure not to turn her back on him, and kept both her eyes and mental image on him.

"I'm afraid that one's classified."

She turned around to glare at him, hands on her hips. "Please tell me you're not a federal agent or something." He didn't look it -- but he still could be undercover or something -- slightly curly black hair that just barely reached his shoulders, green-gray eyes, long-sleeved gray sweatshirt and rough black jeans. He looked ... twenty-five, perhaps.

"No, I'm not a fed. D'you really think they'd let mutants in?"

"You never know. A man could surround himself with mutants – you know, 'keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer'?"

"Mm, like William Stryker."

She stared at him. "You know about Stryker?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I worked for Xavier, in a way."

"Worked for him; how so?"

"I gathered information, I suppose you could say."

"So you're a spy."

Slayer shook his head. "No, not exactly."

"Look, I'm still not used to snooping around peoples' heads when I want to know something; that's usually why I give them the chance to give me a straight answer before I go prodding in their brain matter. But I can do it if I see the need to. So would you mind telling me who you are and what you're doing here, or will I be forced to use my telekinesis to throw you out as well?"

"I knew I should have gone with the second vision..."

"What're you muttering about?"

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Xavier will explain everything, if he sees the need to. I'm not here to hurt anyone; I just want to talk to Xavier and get this over with."

Amanda heaved an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Here he is now."

Xavier sat waiting in the entrance hall, with Kurt standing behind him.

"Professor, he just appeared out of nowhere on the grounds –"

"It's quite all right, Amanda. I know him, he's supposed to come." He glanced at Slayer. "You're late, however."

Slayer shrugged. "I follow my visions, Xavier."

"Very well. Come into my office. Amanda, thank you for escorting Mr. Slayer. I'll take him from here."

Amanda scowled as the door of Xavier's office closed behind them.

**-X-**

"So, what do you have for me?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. I was there when they brought the girl in -- Amanda's her name? -- but I couldn't really do anything that wouldn't jeopardize my cover. My visions tell me I'm better off helping your side in this war, so I'm doing what I can. But it isn't much."

"Whatever you can tell me might be helpful, Jake."

Slayer sighed. "I know. I know."

"What was your latest vision about?"

"The telepath/telekinetic, actually."

"Amanda?"

Slayer shook his head. "No, the one on Magneto's side. The redhead."

Xavier's head snapped up. "Jean?"

Slayer nodded. "Yes, Jean, that's her name."

Xavier sighed, head dropping back into his hands. "Do you know why she is working with the Brotherhood?"

"They got her out of that lake; I told you about that vision. She couldn't remember anything, and they fed her a big pile of lies to get her on their side. Now she's completely sure she's been with the Brotherhood since day one."

"Eric, you bastard," muttered Xavier.

"The man used her, that's obvious enough. But we already know all of that. I've had another vision..."

"What about?"

Slayer shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm not sure. You know how my visions are. Sometimes I now what they mean, sometimes I don't. Most of the time I don't know if they're something that's already happened or something that's still in the future. I don't always know the time and place, and I sure as hell don't know what's the connection -- if there even is one -- between them all." He sighed. "The fact that I've been having these visions since I was eleven doesn't make it any easier to control or understand them, Xavier."

"I know, Jake. I'm sorry. It's just that I can't bear to stand on the sidelines and watch one of my first pupils stand on the other side of the line, as my enemy..."

"I know the feeling of a knife in the back, Xavier. That's another one of the things I've experienced too often."

**-X-**

Amanda rummaged through the cupboards in the kitchen, her mind reeling. She'd gotten the most bizarre vibes off that guy ... he sent shivers down her spine.

She never heard the approaching footsteps, and so she was startled when a voice called out from behind her, "Manda?" She was so surprised, in fact, that she bumped her head on the counter coming up from the cupboard.

Cursing colorfully, she held her head in both hands as she straightened, glaring at Logan. "Never do that again, Logan, or I will have your balls." She continued to curse.

He stared at her, eyebrows raised in surprised.

"What?"

"That is an impressive vocabulary you have, Manda."

She rolled her eyes, plopping down into a stool with a groan. "I worked in a bar for three years, Logan. I'm not some innocent little virgin. And now I have a headache, as well as the creeps. Ugh." She dropped her head to the counter, mumbling a conclusion: "I need alcohol."

"This is a school, you know," said Logan, amused.

Amanda pulled her head up from the counter long enough to send him another glare. "Which is exactly why there is no alcohol anywhere, I know. And it only makes me want it more."

"I ... have a secret stash somewhere in my room. I think. Interested?"

"Fuck yes!" she jumped off the stool. Practically leading the way to his room, she waited impatiently for him as he walked down the hallways deliberately slowly. He grinned slyly at her and opened the door, beckoning her inside, saying, "Just don't tell Chuck. Although he probably knows anyway." She nodded and sat on his bed, glaring at his back when he made a show of looking in his closet for the beer.

"Oh, get out of the way," she finally snapped, and shoved him aside. Needless to say, her push didn't do much to move his large frame, but he grinned at her and let her ransack his closet for the desired alcohol. A triumphant "Aha!" announced her find, and she came up with two bottles of lukewarm beer.

"What I wouldn't give for Bobby just now..." she lamented, but opened the bottle and took a large swig nonetheless. Beer tasted better chilled, but she'd just have to make do with what she had. Logan chuckled as he opened his bottle and took a sip, sitting back on his bed and studying Amanda carefully.

"You okay?" he finally asked. She nodded and sat next to him.

"I just need to clear my mind. This guy caught me and Kurt -- he surprised us on the grounds; popped up from nowhere and demanded to see Xavier." She bit her lip, hoping he hadn't caught her slip-up. For some reason, she didn't want him to know she had kissed Kurt. "I don't know what it is about him; I just get the strangest vibes off of him –"

"I meant about the kidnap..."

"Oh." She sighed, taking a thoughtful sip of her beer. "I'm okay, yes. I'm still a bit confused about it, but other than that I'm fine. No physiological mental scars or anything," she gave him a grin. "But I am glad you guys found me. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't come when you did, I was just about losing it in there..."

"I was losing my mind too, kid," he said, setting his beer on the bedside table and lying on his back on the bed, arms behind his head. "It was driving me nuts, all the smells in that place. Magneto and Mystique are everywhere on that damned building; it stinks of them, and Pyro, and all those others. And all I wanted was to find your scent in that snake's nest of smells, so I could find you."

"Aww, Logan..." Amanda took a huge sip of her beer and set the empty bottle on the bedside table. She lay on her side next to him, propping herself on one elbow. "That's so sweet," she grinned goofily.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, sweet; that's me. C'mere –" and he grabbed her arm and pulled her squealing to him, settling her so that she lay with her head on his stomach. "I was so relived when we found you back there," he said, his deep voice thrumming in his chest beneath her head in a comforting purr. "Now, what's this fella that's got you so spooked out?"

"I don't know. He says he gets these prophetic visions; when he came up and demanded to see Xavier just like that I didn't exactly trust him. Okay, I didn't trust him at all. I took a mental scan of his head, just to see if he's legit. I guess his latest vision was still fresh in his mind, because it was one of the first things I saw. I got a flash of Jean..."

"Jean?" Though Amanda couldn't see it from her position, Logan's face had scrunched into a frown. "Jean Grey?"

"Yeah," she said. "Didn't you see her at the Fortress?"

"See her? -- Manda, she's dead."

"Oh my god..." Amanda pushed herself up onto her side again in order to look into his face. "You really didn't see her? She's alive, Logan! She was here at the gym when the Brotherhood crashed our Halloween party, didn't you see her?"

"No," he frowned. "How can she be alive? She died, Manda. Three years ago."

"I can't believe nobody told you... that's why everyone was so shocked when they came. And Scott -- he probably got the shock of his life, didn't you notice how he was so pale?"

"I – don't take that much interest in Scott, Manda. My eyes are usually on someone else..."

"Who?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Jean can't be alive," Logan said, bluntly ignoring her question. "She just can't." _I'm over her_..._ or at least I thought I was!_ The thought was practically broadcasted into the air around him; naturally Amanda picked up on it, along with the thought that came after it: _I've got Manda now_.

"Maybe I was wrong..." she said, inching closer. He eyed her mildly.

"Are you sure you're not drunk, Manda?" he gave her a smirk of his own.

"If I were drunk ... would I do this?"

And she leaned over and kissed him.

* * *

**Authoress's note:** -laughs wildly- you have no idea how glad I am to have finally finished this chapter. It's been giving me hell -- but I'm still glad to have gotten past it; it's the most I've written in one particular story in forever. I'd resolved to finish this story before X3 comes along (MAY 2006!), and I'm actually beginning to see the end of this fic somewhere around, so that's a promise! 


	19. Sparks and Premonitions

**Authoress's notes:** not so sure about this chapter. It was supposed to include a bit more, but I don't want it to be too long, so you'll just have to wait for me to write the next chapter. I will, I promise! I've already got it started! -goes to work on that-

**Reviewers' Response:**

**HazelSilver**** – **oh, pyromaniac! Well, I'm waiting for May 3rd 2006!

**chelseypudge**** – **hehe, love triangles, love triangles!

**the**** littlest weasley – **hmm. Rogue... lemme check on her.

**live2luv – **hmm, you've been going through my stories, haven't you :) It's lovely to have a new reviewer – and I'm glad you're enjoying my works. More is coming!

**xImmortalx**** – **jeez, I hope I don't kill ya until the story is over. Then you can die. But please don't XD

**Pyro Lady – **yeah... lucky... -sigh-

**Rogue200315 – **hehe, problems are fun!

* * *

**Chapter 19: Sparks and Premonitions.**

Scott pulled out his cell-phone and speed-dialed one of his numbers. After a few rings, a young male voice answered, _"Hello?"_

"Spike."

_"Scott...?"_

"Spike, how are you?"

_"I'm ... fine."_

"Spike, I want you to come here with me."

_"What? Why?"_

"Spike, it's not safe for you to –"

_"Scott, I've told you, I'm fine!"_

"No you're not." Scott stood up and paced the room. "Spike, ever since Mom and Dad died you've holed yourself in that dingy little flat without a dollar on your ass. I want you here with me."

_"Scott, we've been through this already..."_

"Yes, and I won't give in this time. I'm coming to get you this afternoon. Pack whatever you need and be ready."

_"Scott, no."_

"Spike, you can't keep living like this. You need a decent place to live, and you need food to survive, you know. You can't keep working at that place –"

_"Scott, that place is the only job I can find! It's the only thing I can do and I'm_ _good at it!"_

"If that's the only thing you're good at, that's not a good thing. You need to go back to school. I won't turn a blind eye anymore. My little brother is not going to stay a dropout working for street gangs. Be ready this afternoon, Spike."

_"Scott, no –"_

"Spike!" Scott's voice was harsh. A hurt silence followed it.

_"Why can't you come here and be here for me, then?"_

Scott sighed. "You know I can't do that, Spike." He sat down in a couch and ran a hand through his hair. "I have a job, I have work to do. I can't run out like you did. People need me here."

_"But I need you here, too!"_

"Then you'll have to put some effort and get your ass packed fast enough so I can come pick you up and you can be here with me."

_"But I don't want to go to that place again..."_

"Spike, things have changed since you've been here. It's a better place. There are a lot of kids that would give all they had to be here. You have that choice, for free. You know Professor Xavier. He'll let you stay here, as long as you keep your end of the bargain: do your chores, work hard at your studies, and learn to control your powers. Don't you want to expand your powers?"

_"Well, yeah, but not in a boarding school!"_

"Spike, it's nothing like a boarding school here. It's a family, a home where you can be accepted."

_"I'm accepted with the boys here, too!"_

"Maybe so, but _I_ won't accept you running around the streets in the middle of the night with gangs using your powers to break into places and steal things. I _won't_ have you thrown in jail!"

Spike sighed; a rush of static in Scott's ears. He pulled out his last, ridiculous card. "How's your girlfriend, Spike?"

Spike snorted. _"She left me ages, ago, you idiot."_

"Don't call me an idiot, you little asshole." Scott grinned. "There are a few cute girls here, you know... plenty your age... and there isn't one kid here with your kind of powers. I'm sure they'll all love you at first sight..."

Spike actually laughed at that. _"Oh god, I can't believe you're trying to bribe me with girls! My older brother, Scott-goodie-two-shoes-Summers, using low tricks to get me into that school..."_

"Did it work?" Scott asked hopefully.

_"No. But I have missed you a bit..."_

"Ah, I see. Well, if you've missed me that much, I suppose there's not much I can do but go get you..."

_"Five o'clock. Honk when you're here."_

"Be ready." Scott hung up smiling. Then his smile turned to a frown as he thought about the other person he had vowed to bring back home to him.

**-X-**

"Mel. Mel, wake up."

"Mmmngph..."

"No, Mel, I'm afraid I can't understand you when your head's inside your pillow. Now wake up, I've got some good gossip for you."

"Ngh."

"Melavina Coulter, you will pull your head out of that pillow this instant or I will be forced to sit on it."

That got her out of bed. "Aaah, no! What's this gossip about?"

Kitty smirked. "Scott."

"_What!_" Mel shrieked, practically livid. "Why didn't you tell me!"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Because you refused to wake up, you idiot."

"Yeah, well, if you'd have told me..." sulked Mel. "So, what about my Scottie?"

"_Your_ _Scottie_? Never mind. Rumor has it ... he's bringing his brother to the Institute." Kitty laughed at the look on Mel's face. "Oh, if only I had a camera!"

"He's _what!_ He has a brother?"

"Apparently." Kitty nodded. "And -- he's younger than him."

"Ohmygod, ohmygod – how much younger?"

"Well," Kitty leaned forward conspiratorially, "according to the rumors... he's seventeen."

"Oh. My. GOD!" Mel fell back into her bed, eyes glazing over. "I cannot believe it. Scott has a younger brother, who is only a year older than me. Scott's brother. And he's coming here. And he's my age. And he's Scott's brother. Scott's bro–"

Mel's fangirl-esque stream of babble was ended promptly when a pillow landed on her head, quickly followed by Kitty herself.

**-X-**

"Here we are," said Scott as he pulled into the driveway. In the passenger side sat his younger brother Spike, jaws agape. "So, does it look like you remembered it?"

"Um." Spike snapped his mouth shut. "No, not really."

"Ah." Scott gave his brother a grin. "Don't worry. You're going to like it here. If there's anything you need, remember I'm probably just a yell away. But don't expect any favoritism just because you're my brother."

Spike snorted. "Yeah, right. Like _that'll_ ever happen. If anything, you'll be harder on me."

"True." Scott parked the car in his spot in the garage and stepped out. Taking his brother's bag from the backseat, he beckoned him into the Institute. "Well, come on. Everybody's probably in the cafeteria; it's just lunchtime. Perfect time to introduce the new student."

Spike groaned. "Can I pretend not to be your brother?"

"Now, Spike, you know that won't work. You two could nearly pass for twins."

The two Summers spun around to face Professor Xavier, who sat smiling at them. He spread his arms in a welcome to Spike.

"I'm glad you've decided to come after all."

"Wasn't really my choice," muttered Spike, "he practically dragged me here."

"Spike!"

"Oh, shut it, Scott. I'm here, aren't I? Hi, Professor X. Yeah, I've decided to get back to school, so why not here with all the other freaks?"

"We are not freaks, Spike," said Xavier sternly. "Mutants, if you wish, but none of us are freaks. We are all human beings, only with extraordinary abilities and gifts."

"Speaking of 'gifts', Scott said you could help me work on mine."

"Ah yes, your electricity. I'll be happy to see what I can do. In the meantime, won't you join the rest of the children for lunch?"

**-X-**

"Students, staff, I wish to introduce a new student."

The entire cafeteria turned to look at Spike, who shifted uncomfortably. "Hi," he muttered. "'M Spike Summers."

"Hey, you're Scott's brother, aren't you?" said a girl at one of the tables. The girl next to her, with long – Spike blinked; was her hair _turquoise?_ – elbowed her in the ribs, wearing a glare that Spike thought could rival his brother's. If looks could kill, that girl would have been quite dead. Twelve feet under.

"Um. Yeah, I am."

"Come sit with us," the girl waved him over, ignoring her friend's jabs and hisses. He shrugged and walked over to her table, where the other kids made room for him to sit just across from her.

"Hi," he smiled nervously.

"Hi, I'm Kitty Pryde."

"Spike Summers..."

"What's your powers?"

In answer, Spike raised one hand and let loose a shower of electric sparks, focusing them until he had a pure ball of the element in his hands. He directed the bolt upwards, where it hit the ceiling, and a lamp that had previously not been working popped back into life. Kitty grinned at him, nodding.

"Useful. Anyway, let's introduce everyone." She pointed at her turquoise-haired friend next to her, saying, "This is Melavina Coulter; we usually call her Mela, or just plain Mel. She can make people forget things."

Kitty looked at Mel, who was nearly drooling and not saying a word, her violet eyes glazed over. "Uhh, it seems that she's made herself forget a few things as well. Such as acting like a human being," she hissed in her ear. "Ugh, never mind. Her codename's Amnesia. This," she pointed at the next girl along the bench, "is Terry McMar. She's got elemental powers, you know, water, fire, earth, air... so we call her Gaia."

"Hi," said Terry, smiling. "Don't mind Mel, she gets like this sometimes." A glance at Kitty added, _Anytime__ Scott's around._

"That over there's Theresa Rourke," Kitty moved on to the red-haired girl sitting next to Terry. "She's got the most amazing vocal cords in the whole world, I swear. We call her Siryn, naturally."

Theresa shook her head in mock sadness. "I manipulate voice waves... It's enough to break windows when I try hard enough. And, I can fly." She grinned at the look on Spike's face.

"Over there is Jubilee," continued Kitty, motioning at the Chinese-American girl sitting across from Terry. "She can make fireworks, basically. It's really cool. Oh, and you'll never see her without that yellow raincoat, so you'd better get used to the colour."

"Hey," said Jubilee, grinning. "We should practice together sometime. With my fireworks and your sparks, I think we could put on quite a show."

"Oh, there you go!" said Kitty, grinning triumphantly.

"There you go, what?"

"Everyone gets a codename," explained Kitty. "Sparks should be yours."

"What?" Spike wrinkled his nose. "It sounds like a dog's name!"

"Well, it's either that or Pikachu."

"Pika- what?"

"You know, that electric rodent from Pokèmon?"

"I think I'll stick to Spark..."

"Okay, great." Kitty brightened up instantly. "Over there next to you is Piotr Rasputin. He's the artist among us," she winked at the tall, muscled boy. "Loves to draw, you'll never see him without his pad. We call him Colossus. Show him why, Piotr."

The Russian boy held out a hand and morphed into his metallic form. "Whoa... cool," said Spike, grinning.

"So, welcome to the fold," said Kitty, "the food's over that way."

"I – I'll show him!" Mel jumped up and cleared her tray, holding a hand out for Spike. He took it uncertainly and allowed himself to be dragged to the buffet-like tables.

Over at one of the staff tables, Scott dropped his fork and groaned, holding his head in his hands. "Oh, no..."

"What is it, Scott?" said Storm.

"I can't believe I let that happen..."

"Let what happen?" said Storm. "Scott, you're worrying me."

"I left Spike... with Melavina."

"Ohhh," said the whole table. Amanda grinned.

**-X-**

"Scott?"

Scott turned around to find Amanda walking up to him. "Yes?"

"I never knew you had a younger brother," she grinned.

"Not many people do," he said, smiling in return. "He's had a tough few years, since our parents died. Dropped out of school, started working for street gangs..."

"Oh... that's horrible."

"I've tried taking care of him however I can, but he's never let me near. I wonder what made him trust me this time."

"He's scared," Amanda answered promptly.

"What? How would you know?"

"I, um. Well, I had a poke at his head. I'm sorry, I know! But it was just so loud... I picked up on it as soon as I set my mind loose."

"Picked up on what?"

"His fear. He's confused, scared. I think his powers may have evolved a bit sometime ago, and he's not sure what to do with himself."

"Well, then it's a good thing I brought him here. Professor Xavier can help him get around his powers, and he can go back to school like a normal kid now."

"How old is he?"

"He's seventeen... I suggest he starts at eleventh-grade level. He only got through to the start of tenth grade, but I'm sure he'll catch up. He's a smart kid, when he dedicates himself to something."

"That's good," said Amanda, somewhat distractedly. Scott noticed she was chewing her lip, fiddling with her hair.

"What's bothering you, Manda?"

"Hmm? Oh, I – I'm okay, I was just thinking about something... I'm in a bit of a mess."

"What mess? Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. But thanks for offering. It's just that –"

"Are you Scott?"

Scott and Amanda turned to see Slayer walk through the door of the common room. "Who are you?" said Scott.

"His name's Slayer," said Amanda, eyes narrowed in dislike.

"Jake Slayer," said Slayer, completely ignoring Amanda. "I've been looking all over for you; Xavier wants to see you in his office." He finally acknowledged Amanda with a glance. "Now."

"What about?"

As Slayer came closer to whisper something in Scott's ear, he trod on Amanda's foot. "Ouch!" she cried, jumping back. "Watch it!" she slapped his arm, indignant.

Slayer's hand came up to grasp hers before it made contact with his shoulder, and a sudden tingle ran up Amanda's arms at his touch. Slayer gasped, and seemed to seize up. Amanda gasped as she caught sight of his eyes, which had turned crimson.

"Slayer?" she said, not daring to touch him lest she provoke another spell. "Slayer, are you okay?"

"– wait," he croaked, bending over, clutching his abdomen. Amanda exchanged a nervous glance with Scott, and the pair of them waited anxiously for a minuet before Slayer relaxed, beginning to collapse to the floor. Scott caught him and heaved him over to a sofa, where he gulped down labored breaths until he could speak again.

"You," he pointed at Amanda, whose eyes widened. "You, I saw you –"

"You saw me what?"

"And her..." he looked at Scott. "Jean. I saw them both. She'll bring your Jean back...

"Jean?" Amanda's voice was thoughtful. "I thought you said she called herself Phoenix now?" she asked Scott.

"No," said Slayer, shaking his head, still staring intently at Scott. "Not Phoenix. She'll have your Jean back." With that, he fell unconscious.

"What does that mean?" said Amanda. "How could I bring Jean back?"

Scott's answer was to run out of the room. Frowning at his retreating form, she sighed. "And what am I supposed to do with him?" she indignantly asked the empty room, gesturing at Slayer. Needless to say, she received no answer.

* * *

**Authoress's note: **I know Scott had a younger brother in the comics (don't quite remember his name just now; will check into it later) but I'm basing this more on the movies, so. Creative license and all that. Heh. Do forgive me, any fanatics. 


	20. Who Said Chivalry Was Dead?

**Authoress's notes:** I'm sooooo sorry it took me so long. I was sick. And I'm always studying for some exam or another. You know, end-of-year stuff. Blegh.

**Reviewers' Response:**

**the**** littlest weasley – **calm down! Rogue's coming right up!

**xImmortalx**** – **I know how it can get. I used to have a story that I hadn't updated in nearly a year. Don't worry, you'll get the inspiration to finish it eventually. Sometime.

**live2luv** – hehe. Your reviews are fun. I like hyper people. I tend to get like that myself sometimes, too :D

**... – **ah, Alex! Thank you!

**chelseypudge**** – **sorry I've taken so much time to write happily...

**Pyro Lady – **yeah, but I'm using the movies version. So, since Alex hasn't been introduced yet, I've taken creative license and made up Spike :D

* * *

**Chapter 20: Who Said Chivalry Was Dead?**

Slayer groaned as he regained consciousness, and opened his eyes to the exasperated face of Amanda. He groaned again and slumped back into the pillow.

"Well, it's nice to see you too," she said huffily.

"What're you doing here?" he asked, putting a hand to his aching head.

"Well, _some_body's got to look after you, see you don't have another spell like that." She couldn't help but feel concerned. "What was that?"

"It was one of my visions," he said as he heaved himself up into a sitting position. "They're not always violent like that one. But usually it's the more important ones that, well, leave an impression." He winced as he rubbed his head.

"Here, I'll go get you an aspirin or something..."

"Do you have any orange juice?"

Amanda stopped at the doorway, eyebrows raised. "I think so... why?"

"For some reason orange juice has always helped me after a big vision."

"Well... all right. Come on down to the kitchen; I'm sure there's a carton open somewhere in the fridge."

**-X-**

"Ahhh," he sighed after having drained a full glass of juice, "much better."

"I wonder what it is with the orange juice," mused Amanda, making another glass hover over from the cupboard and filling it for herself. "Perhaps it's the sugar...?"

"Could be," said Slayer, shrugging. "Might be the vitamin C. When I was a kid I used to drink the stuff every day, but once I started having the visions I stopped for some reason."

"When was that? When you started the visions, I mean."

"I was eleven.

"Wow. How've you held up until now?"

"Well, not every vision is as harsh as that one," Slayer shrugged and poured himself another glass.

"What did you mean by that last one? About me and Jean?"

"I meant just what I said: you'll bring Jean back."

"But how can I bring her back? I mean, she's at the Fortress; I don't even know where it _is_, somewhere out at sea."

"I don't mean physically. She's Phoenix now; she doesn't remember who she was when she was here. You'll bring that person back."

"But how?"

Slayer sighed, putting his head in his hands. "I wouldn't know. My visions aren't that clear; I don't have any sense of time or place. Sometimes I don't even get an image or anything; I just somehow _know_ things that are going to happen, or things that already did happen."

"Great. So now I have restoring Jean's sanity to look forward to, on top of everything else."

"Yes, I've noticed you're twitchy. What's bothering you?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And how exactly should you know if I'm _twitchy_? You don't know me."

"Not personally, no. But I've gotten a few visions by now that include you, and this is _not_ how you usually act. You're all carefree and outgoing. But now you're serious and brooding. Almost sulking, I'd say. What's happened?"

"I've created a love triangle."

_Well,_ he thought. _That was blunt. _"What?"

"I think I've fallen in love with two people at the same time," she clarified, glaring at him.

"Oh. Ohhh. Well."

"Thanks for your help," Amanda said dryly.

"Hey, I'm not a therapist!"

"Are you implying I need one?"

"Sure, why not?" he flashed her a cheeky grin.

"Oh, shut up, before I throw something at you."

He chuckled. "Really, tell me about it. I may not be a psychologist or anything, but you'll feel better once you've talked about it."

Amanda sighed. "When I came here, one of the first people I met was Logan, and just a few minuets after him Kurt. I think I instantly fell for them both. But they're both so _different_..."

"I don't know either of them. Tell me about them. What made you fall for each one?"

"Well, Kurt's always such a gentleman, and he's sweet and kind and so funny... he's generally such a nice person to be around. Once you get over the fact that he's blue, I mean."

"Ah, so the blue demon is Kurt." Slayer nodded. "He's shown up in my visions sometimes."

"Mm-hm. And Logan... Logan is a bit macho, he's got those rugged good looks and that bad-boy attitude. He's good for a joke and a drink, and he went crazy looking for me when I was at the Brotherhood's HQ. He doesn't want anyone to know, but inside he's just this lost person... it's been almost twenty years since Stryker did those experiments on him, and he still hasn't found out anything about himself."

"And do they both love you?"

"I don't know... Kurt persuaded me to have a peek into his mind, and I saw him fantasizing about kissing me. So I kissed him..."

"And?"

"And after that Logan invited me for a drink, and I kissed him, too."

Slayer shook his head. "You are a piece of work, woman."

Amanda raised an eyebrow at him. "Should I be flattered, or insulted?"

"Not sure." He shrugged. "Now, as for your love-triangle, you're going to have to decide on one of them sometime sooner or later. I suggest you make it sooner, or things will get ugly."

"Manda!" Kitty raced into the kitchen suddenly, gasping for breath. "Finally, there you are! You'd better come to the Danger Room, quick!"

"Kitty, what's wrong?" Amanda got off her stool and held Kitty by the shoulders, waiting for her to catch her breath again.

"Kurt – Logan – just come on! They're fighting or something –"

"Like this," Slayer said.

Amanda's eyes widened. "Shit."

**-X-**

There was a crowd already gathered by the door of the Danger Room. Kitty pulled Amanda through it, elbowing people without mercy, until she stood inside, eyes wide at the sight before her.

Kurt and Logan stood in the middle of the large training room. No simulation had been set, and they were not training for a battle or a fight. They were fighting each other. Logan had his claws out and his teeth bared, and Kurt held in his hands a slender, Japanese-style sword, tail lashing from side to side like an angry cat's.

"What is going on here?" she yelled.

"They're fighting," clarified Bobby, struggling to hide his grin. "Over you, it seems."

"Over _me?_"

"They both keep shouting that you're theirs, that they kissed you."

"Um..."

"Manda!" Kitty stared at her with wide eyes. "Don't tell me you've gone and kissed them both!"

"Well..."

"Oh, Manda..." Kitty slapped her palm to her forehead, shaking her head in despair. "I thought you'd be smart enough to avoid something like this... but noooo, you had to come here and fall in love with two guys at once... You're just lucky you didn't fall in love with Scott, too, or Mel would have killed you!"

"I heard that!" cried Melavina, who stood just a few feet away. "And I resent that. I'm over Scott..." she grinned at Spike, who actually grinned back.

Kitty shook her head, closing her eyes. "I'm surrounded by idiots!"

"Hey!" cried both Amanda and Mel.

"All right, all right – I'm surrounded by love-struck girls!"

Mel giggled at that. Next to her, Spike leaned down slightly and whispered in her ear, "What's she talking about? Did you have a thing with my brother?"

"No, no," she said hastily. "It's nothing. You're all I see, Spikie."

Spike grimaced. "You're probably the only one I'd ever allow to call me that..."

Resisting the urge to go, _Aawwww_, Amanda shook her head and said, "Can we get back to the main issue here -- which happens to be Logan and Kurt trying to rip each other apart?"

And really, the pair had remained quite oblivious to the growing crowd of students and staff that was gathering in the Danger Room, restricted areas be damned. They were still swinging and blocking, growling and yelling at each other.

Kurt had slipped back into German, as he usually did when he was angry (which wasn't very often), and was currently cursing Logan for all he was worth. Amanda winced: Logan was hitting back, shouting such obscenities that she was tempted to clap her hands over the younger students' ears.

They matched blow for blow -- Logan slicing with his claws, swinging and kicking, Kurt with smooth sword strokes and sure-footed acrobatic moves. Amanda gasped, horrified, as she saw Kurt's sword bite into Logan's upper arm, and a trickle of blood started to ooze down. But then the wound healed, reminding her of Logan's healing factor.

Kurt, however, fared worse, with no such healing powers. He was bleeding rather badly, and his clothes bore multiple sets of cuts: three parallel tears from Logan's claws. He was starting to weaken, his arms shaking.

_Too much blood loss,_ Amanda thought. That's where she drew the line. The others could also see he was bleeding, quite clearly, but no-one dared come forward, lest they be caught in the deadly battle. It was rather awe-inspiring, Amanda agreed: Logan was capable of destructive force even without his claws, using hand-to-hand combat alone. On the other hand, Kurt was skilled in martial arts and weaponry -- but he did not use his powers of teleportation, Amanda noticed. That went to his credit for not using trickery, only physical strength and agility.

But that was also his downfall. Had he teleported, perhaps he could have avoided Logan's kick to the stomach, which caused him to fall onto his back and lose his grip on the sword's hilt. Logan roared forward, one hand on Kurt's shoulder, the other holding three razor-sharp adamantium claws under his chin.

"All right, that – is – _ENOUGH!_" Amanda stepped forward, using Logan's split-second's pause to push him back by using telekinesis. Logan was hurled onto his back, and Kurt, who had managed to get up and regain his sword, lost it again.

"Stop it _right_ now, both of you!" she shouted, scowling heavily. "Rogue, get yourself over here; Kurt's bleeding badly." As Rogue hurried forward, stripping her gloves off as she went, Logan stood up and slowly walked heavily forward.

"Manda –"

Amanda turned around and slapped him around the face. "How dare you? Both of you -- you're like two small children fighting over a toy. Is that what I am to you? Huh?" She turned to glare at Kurt as well, who stood crouched over with his shirt off, Rogue moving her hands deftly along his back, healing cuts and bruises. When she was finished he stood up, muttering his thanks to her.

Amanda slapped him as well as soon as he was within arm's reach, which made Logan smirk slightly. She rounded on him. "What the hell are you smiling about, you big idiot? Right, both of you -- you are coming with me and we are settling this like adults. It might be my fault that I got you both in love, but that doesn't mean you have to go and kill each other!" She seized an arm of each one and began to drag them along with her. "Ugh, I feel like some kind of trophy. Out of the way – sorry – I'll explain everything later, Professor, I promise – excuse me –"

Logan and Kurt wisely kept their silence as Amanda dragged them to her room and practically threw them into chairs, standing in front of them with her arms crossed and thunder flashing across her face.

"Now. First of all, you –" she looked at Logan, "you're going to keep your claws to yourself. "And you –" she told Kurt, "you are going to get control of that tail of yours; it's driving me nuts."

The two of them complied obediently; Logan sheathed his claws and unclenched his fists, and Kurt curled his tail around one of the chair's legs.

"Good. Now. What, for heaven's sake, is going on here?"

"I should ask you that!" said Kurt. "Herr Logan claims to have kissed you – and you yourself now say you made us both fall in love with you."

"Shut it, bub!" said Logan. "I kissed her all right, and you can keep your greedy little elf-fingers off her!"

"Oh, why's that, because I'm _yours_?" spat Amanda, directing the question at both of them. "Egotistical, possessive, macho little --"

"I –" Logan stuttered, while Kurt set off muttering in German.

"All right, shut up. Let me do the talking." Amanda sat on her bed, head in her hands. "Okay. It goes like this: I've created a love-triangle, with you two. I think I fell for you both the instant I met you – on my first day here at the Institute. Somehow I ended up getting kidnapped, so there wasn't exactly time to act on my emotions for you..."

"And what emotions were those?" asked Kurt. "Or rather, for whom were they?"

"I don't know... Kurt, when we kissed –"

"So you did kiss him!" thundered Logan.

"Yes, I did," she snapped, irked. "I just said that."

"Then what the hell did you kiss me for?"

"I don't know," she answered, suddenly uncomfortable. "I suppose maybe I was a bit drunk after all ... and it was after I'd met Slayer; he'd completely freaked me out. I needed comfort. I was all mixed up inside my head..."

"Sure sounds like you," muttered Logan, and Kurt chuckled.

"Oh, so now you're teaming up against me, is it?"

"No –" "Nein –" both raised their hands and shook their heads quickly.

"Good."

Logan sighed. "So what're we gonna do now?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Amanda scraped her hair back and flopped back onto the bed, sighing.

"It is up to you," said Kurt. "You have to decide. Which one of us do you love?"

"I – you're making me choose? Can't I have you both?" Amanda pouted.

"Manda, this isn't funny," said Logan. "You can't toy with us like this."

"Oh, you shut up, you still have to sort out your feelings towards Jean!"

Logan sat there in stunned silence. Finally he managed a hoarse, "What?"

"Jean. You know – tall, redheaded, telepath/telekinetic? You're still in love with her, Logan!"

"How would you know?"

Amanda sighed. "Because I've seen it in your head. You're practically broadcasting it all around you. I'm sure you really did see her when she was here; you're just in denial."

"Denial! Manda, she's dead! She's fucking dead, I can't have any feelings for her!"

"Doktor Grey is alive, Logan," Kurt said quietly. "If you still have feelings for her..."

"No I don't!" shouted Logan.

"Yes, you do!" countered Amanda. "At least subconsciously. You still have feelings for Jean, and that alone should tell you that she's _alive_!"

"She's also here," said a new voice from the doorway.

Amanda groaned. "Slayer, what're you doing here?"

"It seems Xavier has made me the new message-delivery boy," he replied dryly. "He sent me to get you all to the lab."

"Why?" asked Kurt.

"Have any of you seen Scott today?" Slayer asked pointedly. The three of them shook their heads. "That would be because first thing in the morning, he took the jet to the Brotherhood's headquarters to bring Jean back. And how she's here."

An astounded "What?" was echoed by three voices.

Slayer shrugged. "Come and see for yourselves."

* * *

**Authoress's note:** muahahahaha, evil cliffie! (hint: review, and next chapter will come soon!) 


	21. Jean vs Phoenix

**Authoress's notes:** last chapter, folks! Hope you enjoyed – I sure did :) There might be an epilogue after this -- I'm still not sure if I should. It's already half-written, and once I finish it I'll decide if I should post it or not.

By the way. To anyone who's read the comics. I recently discovered that Kurt had a relationship with another acrobat in the circus called Jimaine, who later called herself Amanda. I think she also took the codename Majik. Anyway, **MY **OC Amanda has nothing to do with her. I didn't know about that when I picked the name. I just liked the name Amanda. I've been using it in a lot of stories (that I never posted, of course). Just so there's no confusion. -.-

**Reviewers' Response:**

**Pyromaniac: **-headdesk- yes, I know I update like once a month; I'm sorry I keep saying I'll update soon and end up keeping you guys in suspense for weeks. But hey, final chapter, ai?

**live2luv: **'fraid you won't be getting a lot more updates from _Velvet Roses_; this is the last chapter! Oh, the epilogue. Yeah. Watch out for it. It might be coming up.

**leslienicolespeaks - **hey, are you new to VR? Glad you're enjoying it!

**xImmortalx - **if you haven't realized that by now (that I like writing cliffies) then you're in serious trouble :3

**Neassa** - if you kill me, no-one will read the epilogue because I won't be able to post it! And trust me, you might want to wait until after reading the epilogue to kill me. Really.

**chelseypudge: **-sigh- I've just had one of my major history exams. It's a good thing this chapter was already written; my mind was fried by the time I'm uploading this now... I wanna the exams to eeeeeeeeend! -cries-

* * *

**Chapter 21: Jean vs. Phoenix **

Amanda, Kurt and Logan followed Slayer down to the lower levels and into Hank's laboratory. Loud noises could be heard down the corridor, and a few minor bangs and explosions. Amanda's eyebrows rose in amusement as they entered the lab.

Beast was standing in the middle of the medic bay, his large, furry blue arms clasped around a woman with red hair, dark clothes, and a murderous glare on her face. She was struggling to free herself, screaming at the top of her lungs. Objects flew from side to side around the room, no doubt carried by telekinetic force. In a corner stood Scott, hands brought up to shield his head, shouting for her to calm down.

"Calm down?" she screeched back. "Calm down! I suppose you're mad we kidnapped the girl, but you didn't have to come back and kidnap me in retaliation!"

"I brought you home!"

"Home? Ha!"

"Jean --?"

Logan had stopped dead in the doorway, staring at Jean with wide eyes.

"My name," she hissed at him, "is Phoenix!" A mug of coffee was lifted from the table and hurled at him; Logan only just managed to lift his hands and shatter it in time. Splinters of ceramic rained onto the floor, while Logan's white shirt was now stained brown with coffee. Beast growled low in his throat.

"That was my favorite mug." He tightened his grip on her. "Now _will_ you stop hurling objects around my laboratory?"

"Not until you _let – me – go_!"

"Fine. Logan, catch!" and he thrust her towards the Wolverine. Startled, Logan opened his arms and caught her before she fell, holding on tight. Meanwhile Hank filled a syringe with a sedative. Phoenix didn't get past "Oh no you don't –" before it was injected into her arm. A few minuets later, she lapsed into unconsciousness.

"Finally," moaned Hank. Scott took her slack body from Logan and laid it on one of the beds, gently smoothing her red hair from her face.

"Scott!"

Everybody turned to see Xavier rolling into the room. His expression was a cross of anger and concern.

"Scott, what were you thinking, bringing Jean back here?" he demanded.

"She's not Jean anymore!" said Scott, angry. "She's not herself; Magneto's got to her someway. I want my Jean back!"

Slayer coughed slightly, staring pointedly at Amanda. She scowled at him. "Oh, you shut up. I don't know what you want me to do!"

"What's he got to do with this?" growled Logan.

"Oh, nothing much," said Slayer, slowly inching away from Logan and towards Xavier.

"Amanda," said Scott, frowning suddenly, "maybe what he said was real? What if it's true?"

"Oh, Scott, not you too!" cried Amanda, throwing her hands up. She didn't know whether to sigh in exasperation or cry with desperation.

"Jake?" said Xavier, looking up at the man behind him mildly. "Is there anything you've neglected to mention?"

"I don't think so, no," muttered Slayer. "Oh, except for the fact that I had another vision ... about her." He nodded towards Amanda.

"Liebe, what is going on here?" asked Kurt.

Amanda groaned. "Our friendly neighborhood prophet had this vision ... he claims I'll bring Jean back somehow." She glared at the mutant. "And he's getting on my nerves."

"But what if –"

"But, nothing, Scott!" Amanda cut him off. "I don't know what he's talking about, and I don't know what you expect me to do! All because he had some stupid vision, now there's this pressure on me –"

Suddenly rather hysterical, Amanda slid down to the floor, leaning on the wall with her head in her hands. "It's not that simple," she whispered. "You can't just expect me to reach into a person's mind and 'bring them back'," she mimed the quotation marks with her fingers. "It doesn't work that way."

"Shhh. Hush, Liebchen." Kurt crouched down and took her hands in his own. "Do you remember your first day here? Remember how you moved the glass? All you have to do is think about it. Perhaps it's not that simple, no, but you just try your best." He looked into her red-rimmed eyes, establishing a connection. Amanda picked up on his thoughts instantly:

_Try,__ meine Liebling. Do it for Herr Cyclops. You know how much Doktor Grey means to him. He should have his love back._

"But how should I have mine?" she whispered, so quietly that only Kurt heard. He kissed her hands.

"You already have him," he whispered back. "Be he the Wolverine or myself."

Three feet away, Logan turned his eyes aside. He'd heard that all right.

That settled it. Sniffing once, Amanda stood up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "All right. Fine. I'll give it a shot. Move over, Scott."

The inhabitants of the room exchanged somewhat worried glances, but moved back to let Amanda step up to the bed. She looked down at the woman lying on it, eyes closed, frowning slightly in her drug-induced sleep. Amanda sniffed again. _All right. Now what do it do?_

**-X-**

Amanda sighed and closed her eyes. She had to think hard about this. _How do I bring one side of a person back? I need to get Phoenix to give in ... get Jean to realize that she can take control again._

Her mind set, Amanda reached out with it. It almost felt like holding a hand out and plunging it into ice-cold water -- only that the hand was in fact her consciousness and the water was Jean's. Something told her that the fact that the water was cold meant something was wrong. Shaking her head mentally at the metaphor, she cleared her mind of such nonsense. _Concentrate!_ she told herself. _All right, all right. Breathe deeply. In, out, in, and out. Okay._

**_WHOOOOSH._**

Amanda vaguely wondered where she was. Some darkened room, it seemed. No, actually it was a room divided into two -- one half was dark, while the other was full of a harsh, artificial white light. In the lighted part of the room stood Jean, wearing simple blue jeans and a black jumper.

_Is that Jean_...

No, she realized, it wasn't. That was Phoenix. That crazed glint in her eyes, that smug smile... any idiot could see that this was not Jean, but the darker side of her: Phoenix, who reveled in taking control of this body and using it for dark purposes.

Amanda took a second to laugh at her own dramatics. _That sounded like the back cover of some sci-fi book_...

She turned her glance to the darkened half of the room. She could hear small sounds coming from what seemed to be the corner of the room, quiet sniffings and tiny sobs. She walked forward, peering through the fog-like darkness that shrouded the form. When she was close enough, she could just about make out the figure of a woman, hunched over and jumping slightly as her sobs shook her body.

Amanda frowned, and silently pulled the light in her direction. She was sure to be careful, though – any wrong move, and Jean's brain could be fried – with her still in it. Carefully, ever so slowly, the light inched closer. Finally, Amanda was able to see the real Jean, her hair a dull rusty red colour and her torn, tattered black leather X-Men suit just barely recognizable. Amanda gulped and calmed herself down before gently reaching out and laying her hand on Jean's shoulder.

Jean jumped and her head snapped up, her eyes wide and bloodshot. "Who – who are you?" she whispered, her voice raspy, broken. Wet trails of tears were still gleaming on her cheeks and she shivered with cold and fear.

"I'm a friend," Amanda replied. "My name's Amanda, I've been at the Institute for a while. I have the same powers as you do, telekinesis and telepathy. Only not as powerful."

"Powers...?"

"Yes, Jean. Don't you remem–"

"Jean?" she whispered, her eyes widening even more. "Jean ... that – that's my name. I haven't heard that in ... years..."

Amanda bit her lip. This wasn't going to be easy. But there wasn't much time left. She could already see the edges of the room blurring together. If she didn't get Jean up and back to the outer world fast, before Phoenix woke up, then the whole thing would collapse.

"Jean, listen to me. Scott sent me, and Professor Xavier, and Logan, and Dr McCoy. Do you remember them?"

"Scott..."

Amanda reached out and took Jean's hand, bringing it to her neck, where the necklace Scott had given her still hung, now a dulled silver colour. Jean felt the necklace around her throat and fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "Scott... I – I loved him," she said uncertainly.

"You still do. Come on. He's waiting for you. Come on, now. Stand up. That's it..." Amanda looped her arms around the fragile woman's torso and shoulders, supporting her as much as she could. Already she herself was beginning to weaken, the energy needed to keep the connection between her mind and Jean's taking its toll on her physical body as well as her mind. "Come on, come with me..."

"You're not going anywhere," said a cold voice from behind them. Phoenix stepped forward as they all stood in the middle of the lighted room. The expression on her face was simply ugly, Amanda thought.

"Oh, yes we are," she replied through gritted teeth. She pulled Jean with her, not even sure where she was going. _Everything's so fuzzy..._

"I said, you are not going anywhere."

"Shut ... up!" Amanda shouted, hauling Jean up as she threatened to collapse. "Jean! Jean, listen to me! You have to fight her! Now. Don't give in to her! She's had control over you for too long. It's your turn. Take back what's yours! You have to do this, Jean," she whispered, beginning to pant. Phoenix's consciousness was gaining strength as she started to fight the anesthetic in her bloodstream. "Jean..." Using all the power she had left, Amanda conjured up an image of Scott, sending it directly in front of Jean's face.

Jean gave an audible gasp and stood up straight unaided. "Scott..." she whispered, holding a hand out. But then the image dissolved as Amanda collapsed beside her. Jean looked down upon the woman who had come for her, and the fire returned to her eyes. She stared at Phoenix, who was still smirking. Jean glared at her, furry crackling like electricity through her body.

"Get out of my head, bitch!" she yelled, holding both hands up and pushing the intruder out of her mind. The image of Phoenix shattered into a thousand pieces, which disappeared before they hit the floor. Jean fell to her knees next to Amanda and felt her pulse. It was there, fluttering weakly against her fingers. She was on her own.

But at least she _was_. She was conscious of herself and of the time she had lost being held in the darkened room against her will, while her dark alter-ego held control over her body. Now she could have control over her own body again. And she owed it all to this woman.

Taking a deep breath, Jean Grey closed her hand around Amanda's wrist, closed her eyes, and returned to the conscious world.

**-X-**

The laboratory was completely quiet, save for the steady beeps of the EKGs. Scott sat on a chair by Jean's bed, holding her hand in his. Next to him sat Kurt, tail curled around Amanda's wrist, the beads of his rosary clinking slightly as he prayed silently for the two women who lay on the beds. Xavier sat still and silent, his eyes half-closed as he struggled to establish a connection with either one of the unconscious women.

Slayer and Logan both stood uneasily by the door, Slayer tossing a small knife and catching it repeatedly while Logan scratched cut after cut on his left palm with his first right claw, watching with unfocused eyes as each time the wound healed over. Hank sat in his chair with his head in his hands, glasses sitting on the table next to the shards of his coffee mug, which he had been trying to glue back together. He hadn't succeeded.

It had been more than twenty minuets since Amanda had stood by Jean's bed and closed her eyes, diving into the woman's mind to bring her back. A few minuets ago she had collapsed, and a brief panic had ensued. Once she had been placed on a bed and looked over by Hank, all they could do was wait.

Scott looked up as the EKGs started beeping differently. Jean's heart-rate was beginning to speed up, while Amanda's went down. Hank rushed over and checked Amanda's vital signs first. Once sure that she would be fine, he turned to check Jean's. He was just about to ask Xavier if he had managed to find a connection when Jean's eyes snapped open and she gasped, gulping in air as though just rescued from drowning.

Everybody jumped. Jean dragged enough air into her lungs to whisper, "_Scott_."

"I'm here," he replied, squeezing her hand. He was rewarded with a strong squeeze in return. "I'm here, Jean ... shhhh, you're okay. I'm here..."

"Professor..."

"Welcome back, Jean." Xavier smiled slightly while he dipped into her mind for a brief check. It was her all right. That only left Amanda...

"What about her?" as though sensing his thoughts, Jean tried to sit up and look over at Amanda, who lay still on the bed. "Amanda – will she be all right?"

"She'll be okay," Hank reassured them all. "Physically, at least. I have no idea what's going on inside that mind of hers." He smiled slightly. "But her pulse is stronger now, and she's getting a bit of colour back into her."

Kurt stayed silent, observing as truly, a bit of the paleness ebbed away, and Amanda's normal colour returned to her face. She did not, however, show any signs of waking up. He buried his face in her hair, the brown locks tickling his nose. He sneezed.

"I thought I was the sneezer around here," said a weak voice. Kurt looked down to find Amanda's brown eyes twinkling tiredly up at him. "God bless you."

Kurt let a single tear spill down his cheek as he replied in a choked voice, "He already has. He already has."

**THE END**

** ... or is it?**

* * *

Authoress's notes: YAAAAAAH! I cannot believe that this is done! (can you?) Well, anyway, it's been a great twenty-one chapters with all you guys, I've loved every second of it. Thanks to you all! 

Love,

Nini.


	22. Epilogue: Ironic

**Authoress's notes:** umm... -looks around sheepishly- was the ending that confusing? I'd thought ... I thought it was pretty obvious that she chose Kurt... -headdesk-

**For the very last time in _Velvet Roses,_ I give you, the Reviewers' Response:**

**leslienicolespeaks**** – **too bad you only stumbled upon VR now; I'd loved to have gotten reviews from you earlier. I do hope to post much more fanfiction; if you want, you can add me to your Author Alerts and you'll get a message when I do.

**chelseypudge**** – **thank god, history exams are over! -weeps for joy-

**Pyromaniac – **erm... she did...

**Rogue200315 – **thanks, hun :)

**the**** littlest weasley – **I'm sorry, honey, I'm just not such a fan of Rogue...

**live2luv** – _this_ is the epilogue.

**xImmortalx**– hey, listen. I've been trying to work on a sequel for ages, ever since I finished the story, and even some time before that; I have more or less the whole plotline figured out, but for some reason I just can't write it out. I'm sorry, but it might take a while for the sequel. I'll do my best, and hope you'll like it when I post it!

**... - **epilogue here; sequel... maybe. It's slowly coming together. Very slowly. Slooooooooowly. Gah.

**hottietom**– this is the epilogue, but the 'or is it' in the end was actually hinting at a sequel. I just hope I can get cracking onto that now that I've got more time on my hands. -crosses fingers-

* * *

Well. Here it is. The Epilogue.

**WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH! IRONIC, TRAGIC, (not to mention POINTLESS) character death! **

* * *

**Epilogue: Ironic**

Everyone was ... well, to say that everyone was instantly ecstatic would be wrong. It's not often you get to see your old Math teacher come back from the dead as an evil alter-ego, and then come back to herself. It took a while for the children to get used to Jean all over again. In a way she was the same old Jean, and in some ways she was unexplainably different.

The students huddled around her in a tight circle, bombarding her with questions and hugging her and weeping with joy. Jean herself began to cry as well, tears of sorrow for the times of sadness that she had caused them, tears of anger for the time she had missed being dominated by Phoenix, and tears of joy that she was back.

As Jean walked away with the children, Scott trailing behind them with the goofiest smile she had ever seen, Amanda sighed to herself and made her way to the front door, stepping out into the cool November air. She decided to give herself a tour of the gardens, as she was quite sure that Kurt would never be able to do it; they'd always get interrupted. Smiling slightly at the thought of Kurt, she hummed to herself as she strolled aimlessly through the gardens.

Well, not completely aimlessly. She was thinking. It had been an exciting month and a half since she'd discovered officially that she was a mutant and had come to the Institute. _Let's see..._ Amanda thought to herself, _I met Logan and Kurt, and fell for them both. I decided to move in permanently, and planned a Halloween party with Kitty and Mel. I got kidnapped by the bad-guys. I was rescued by the good-guys. After a while I kissed Kurt. Then I kissed Logan. Then they fought over me._ She chuckled. _And who said chivalry was dead?_ She sighed.

_I brought Jean back. Just like Slayer said._

"Amanda."

Amanda jumped, spinning around. Then she frowned, her hands on her hips. "You sneak up on me one more time, Jake Slayer, and I'll – I'll – I'll slay you myself!"

He snorted. "Good luck trying."

"Ooh, cocky, aren't we?"

"I was just wondering if we could talk," he said, gesturing at a bench.

"What, so you can boast that you were right and say, 'I told you so'?" she crossed her arms and sat down with a huff.

Slayer chuckled. "Not really. I'll have you know that my visions aren't always correct."

"Well, anyway, this one was. I'm glad it was, though." She smiled. "Scott's been pining for Jean for three years now; to see her on the other side must have been hard for him. I'm glad I could help him someway."

"I'm glad you're so optimistic."

Amanda laughed. "I'm like that. I try not to get pessimistic – I mean, what's the point? It's better to be nosy and meddle in other peoples' lives. _That_'s fun."

"Yes, I know." Slayer's smile practically shouted _I know something you don't know!_

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"Don't you know already? I mean, you _are_ a telepath."

"Nice try. I know you've got barriers up. Do you think I haven't already tried to read your mind? Please."

"All right, all right. All I'll say is that you are quite the matchmaker."

"Aw, come on!" Amanda pouted. "That doesn't tell me anything! I already know that I'm a matchmaker. It comes with the territory."

"What territory?"

"Reading peoples' mind and knowing who they like or whatnot. And don't try to change the subject! Tell me what you saw."

Slayer laughed. "All right, Matchmaker. I don't think I need to tell you anyways; Charles needs you. You'll find out what -- or rather, who -- I'm talking about soon enough. Good luck."

And without so much as another word, he stood up and walked off, disappearing into trees. Amanda sighed and shook her head after him, standing up as Professor Xavier's voice in her head beckoned her to his office.

"What's up?" she asked as she closed the door behind her. Jean and Scott were already there, holding hands. Logan was also present, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and a (fake) nonchalant look on his face. He didn't look up as she entered. Storm and Kurt each sat on chairs, grinning at the newly-reunited pair on the sofa.

"Amanda," said Xavier, "we would all like to thank you."

Amanda blinked. "Thank me...?"

"For – for bringing me back," said Jean, her hands still clasped in Scott's.

"Oh. Well, it's the least I could do to help."

"Amanda, we've come to a decision. All that remains is your choice." Xavier smiled at her. "Would you like to become an official X-Woman?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" Amanda grinned. "That would be great! I'd love to."

"Good. We're just on our way to a new mutant. Would you like to join us?"

"Of course I would!" Amanda nearly giggled.

"Not us, though," said Scott, smiling at Jean. "We're going out."

"Have a great time," said Amanda, winking at Scott.

**-X-**

"Doktor Grey?"

"Come in, Kurt."

"You look lovely, Doktor," said Kurt as he opened the door and smiled at Jean. The bed was laden with clothes as Jean changed and changed and changed yet again.

"D'you think? She asked the teleporter, twirling around. The dress she wore was dark blue, long and elegant. Her hair was loose, the red locks framing her face in a way that made her look very pretty, in Kurt's opinion. It was the perfect outfit for her date with Herr Cyclops. Everybody else was on the mission to pick up the new mutant – but somebody had to stay behind and watch the children. Kurt had volunteered.

"Ja," he said, smiling. "Come now, Doktor. Your escort for the night is impatiently awaiting his lady."

"Oh, Scott's always impatient."

"Ah, but he has every right to be impatient, Fräulein. He has been impatient for over three years. And finally he has you back. Do not keep him waiting for too long."

"Kurt, that's so sweet. You know, Amanda's a lucky girl to have you." Jean laughed at the blush that crept into his face. "All right, I'm off. Remember, call if anything happens. Just ... make sure it's really important before you do."

Kurt winked at her. "I'll not disturb your night out with your liebe, Doktor. Go on!"

**-X-**

"Scott..."

"Hmm?"

"Where are we going?"

Scott smiled at Jean in the seat next to him. "You'll see. It's nothing _too_ special – just a welcome back outing."

"All right..." Jean smiled. She supposed he was taking her out to dinner, and then perhaps a play or an opera – he knew how much she loved those. She considered taking a peek into his head to see his plans, but in the end decided against it. She'd let him keep the surprise to himself. Besides, he'd feel her.

Jean and Scott had established a telepathic link long ago – before Alkali Lake, before Logan and Rogue came along, when they were just becoming a bit more than friends. At first it was strange -- that always-constant tiny presence in your head -- but after a while you get used to it, and you learn to appreciate it. To have another person sharing your life is an incredible feeling. And it was mutual. Jean and Scott were one, in a way, since they shared their minds.

Jean wondered what happened to that link when she had been, well, dead. Had it been severed? How could it have been, if it was now alive, crackling between them in unseen and unfelt power? And what of the time Phoenix had had control over her body? Jean remembered calling out to Scott, calling out to her love, her soulmate, while Phoenix kept her in the darkened room in her mind. Her consciousness locked away, unable to surface, Jean had felt nothing of the link. In the end she'd given up. Until Amanda came along.

Jean gave a small sigh at the thought of the bright woman – one of the newest residents in the Institute. There was simply something about her that made you want to smile and giggle stupidly. She seemed an optimistic person – always at least trying to look on the funnier side of life. She had a tendency to curse a bit, which Jean learned came from her working at a bar for three years. The thought made her laugh – she was like a female Logan: different on the outside, giving you one impression, while inside she was actually something else completely. A bit darker, with death and uncertainty in her past. Loyal to her friends, and willing to do anything to help them. She loved everyone – even if she tried to hide it a bit.

Logan. She wondered how he'd handle her return. There hadn't been any romance between them – at least not on her part. She'd always been Scott's. The only thing that _might_ have come out of Logan was a short fling... and that had never happened. She supposed Logan was over her – he'd sure been glad to see her back to herself, but had greeted her like a friend. A close friend. Jean smiled, happy to have him as that.

"Jeannie?"

"Hmm?"

"What're you thinking about?"

"Everybody," replied Jean. "I got my life back, Scott; that's an opportunity I don't think I'll ever get again. I want to treasure my life with you and with all the people I love."

**-X-**

It was a beautiful thing to say. It was a wonderful sentence, if a bit cliché. And it was the last sentence Jean Grey ever uttered, as a huge truck came careening their way. It slid onto its side up ahead of them on the road and collided solidly with the car.

There was no explosion. There was no fire. There was simply a crash, the sounds of a collision, as metal grated on metal and against asphalt. There was the sound of two seatbelts snapping taught, and then snapping broken. The two airbags that sprang up did nothing, torn as they were by the splinters of glass from the front windshield. One figure was hurled out of the squashed car, landing a few feet away on the road.

Cars screeched to a stop behind the car and the truck, on both directions of the road. The truck was overturned on its side, and was blocking all the lanes. The truck driver was undoubtedly dead; it was pure luck that the truck had been filled with wooden furniture and not fuel or anything flammable. The figure on the road, its glasses miraculously still on, scrambled to its feet and ran dazedly to the car. Frantically, it tried to wrench the passenger-side door open. When physical strength failed, it raised its hand and raised its glasses a fraction, aiming a beam of concentrated energy at the hinges.

With the door out of the way, the figure still inside the car could be seen: pale and still, its chest not rising and falling but completely, utterly still. With a strangled sob, the first figure pulled the second out of the ruined car and laid it down on the hard asphalt, now growing wet as rain began to fall.

"Jean..." he whispered, crouching over his beloved. "Jean ... wake up. Jean, you can't do this to me. Not now. Jean!"

But Jean did not wake. She did not move. She did not open her eyes and comfort the other half of her soul with a last word of goodbye, even as he frantically tried to find a pulse in her delicate wrist, and then at her neck. He found none.

"No ... no, Jean..."

People were beginning to crowd around the pair. Someone was already dialing 911 on their cell-phone. The truck driver had been checked on, and upon realizing nothing could be done for him, everyone moved to crowd around the two figures that lay a few feet away from the crushed car, one of them crouched above the other, sobbing.

_Poor thing,_ thought one old woman to herself. _Still so young, and lost his love in an accident._

For an accident it truly had been. A man-made accident. Nothing related to mutants or humans or war between them or the Registration Act...

It was so ironic.

Scott Summers threw his head back and screamed.

It was almost too ironic to be true.

But it was true.

Jean was dead.

And this time ... she was not coming back.

* * *

Beyond the fence that separated the road from the foliage stood a woman wearing black. She took off the dark sunglasses that hid her black eyes and pulled from the pocket of her leather jacket a cell-phone.

"One down," she said to herself as she dialed a number, "just a few to go. Mr. Harcourt? Yes, it's me. Yes. No, the Phoenix will not be a problem anymore. Phoenix is dead. And this time she's not rising again."

She began walking away from the site of the 'accident'. She flexed her fingers. It was so tempting... the boy's pain, his emotional anguish was mere meters away. It would be so easy to reach out with her mind and use that pain. It would be so simple to kill him.

But Mr. Harcourt had specifically ordered that only the Phoenix was to die. He'd left the details to her, as long as it was made to look like an accident which did not involve mutants. She sighed as she replaced her glasses and slipped between the trees.

Killing people was no fun anymore.

* * *

* * *

**Authoress's note: **yeah, so...

Please don't kill me.

The sequel **_is _**on its way. It's just going very, very slowly, and will be quite a long while before I post it, so I apologize in advance.

By the way, the last line is a quote from one of my friends, on whom Misery (if you haven't realized that it's her, then you haven't read very well!) is based. She's a really crazy bitch, but I love her :)


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